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THE CHURCH 
OF PENTECOST 




Revised Edition 




; 3 J 



CINCINNATI: JENNINGS & PYE 
NEW YORK: EATON & MAINS 



THE LIBRARY OF 

CONGRESS 
Two Copies Receive 

MAR. 5 1901 

Copyright entry 

[CLASS OjXXc. No. 

COPY B. 




COPYRIGHT, 190I, BY 
THE WESTERN METH- 
ODIST BOOK CONCERN 



PREFACE 

The following pages were written, for the 
most part, during the brief intervals of leisure 
which could be secured in the midst of a very 
busy life, and no doubt will bear many marks of 
insufficient preparation and imperfect work. 
The only leisure enjoyed in writing the book has 
been that found on steamship voyages in the 
Eastern seas, and this of course precluded the 
use of libraries and books of reference of every 
kind. How great a disadvantage this has been 
can readily be appreciated by every one who has 
had even a limited experience in writing for the 
press. 

The thought of writing such a book was first 
suggested many years ago while attending a 
"holiness" camp-meeting in the United States. 
While there appeared to be a general agreement 
in doctrine among those in charge of the meet- 
ing, and while there were frequent references to 
Pentecost, there yet seemed to be a wide differ- 
ence between the simplicity of the New Testa- 

3 



4 Preface 

ment story, and the minute definitions, the many 
restrictions, and the limited experiences of the 
modern Christian assembly. At Pentecost the 
manifestation was clear, complete, and satisfy- 
ing. It was "full" as a spiritual manifestation, 
and carried with it all the spiritual elements 
which enter into the organization of a Christian 
society. It set forth all which could be heard in 
the modern assembly, and very much in addition. 
While noting these points, the thought was sug- 
gested that the modern Church had much to 
learn from the story of the first Christian Church, 
and as the years passed, a wider observation, 
embracing many phases of Christian life and 
many departments of Christian labor, greatly 
strengthened this impression. 

More tlhan once an effort has been made to 
induce writers better equipped for the work, and 
having leisure enougii to give the subject the 
thorough treatment which it merits, to under- 
take the task which is so imperfectly set forth in 
the following pages ; but failing to enlist others 
in the work, it has seemed better to cast this little 
offering upon the literary waters than to let the 

matter drop altogether. 

J. M. T. 
Bombay, December i } 1898. 



CONTENTS 

Page 

I. Introductory, ----- 7 

II. The Charter Members, - - 17 

III. Pentecost, 31 

IV. The Mighty Baptism, - - - 50 
V. Filled with the Spirit, - - 65 

VI. Power from on High, - 83 

VII. Fruits of the Spirit, - - - 100 

VIII. Gifts of Pentecost, - - - 113 

IX. Prophets and Prophecy, - - - 127 

X. Prophet and Preacher, - ■ 148 

XI. Pastors and Teachers, - - - 166 

XII. The Apostle and His Successors 181 

XIII. The Fire upon the Altar, - - 197 

XIV. Shall see Visions, - - - 211 
XV. Shall Dream Dreams, - - 230 



6 Contents 

Page 

XVI. Christian Consecration, - - 247 

XVII. A Tragedy and its Lessons, - - 263 

XVIII. Unity of Believers, - - ' - 277 

XIX. Christian Communism, - - - 292 

XX. Social Life and Worship, - 307 

XXI. The Bible of Pentecost, - - - 322 

XXII. Elementary Church Polity, - 340 

XXIII. Spiritual Leadership, - - - 351 

XXIV. A New Church of Pentecost, - 380 



The Church of Pentecost 

i 

INTRODUCTORY 

The Church of Pentecost should never be 
confounded, as it too often is, with the later and 
much less noble organization known among the 
early Christians as the Church of Jerusalem. The 
former was fully inaugurated when the Spirit was 
poured out on the little assembly in the upper 
room, and its extraordinary career was brought 
to a close at the death of Stephen, when the great 
body of believers were scattered abroad, and thus 
thrust out to begin the great missionary work for 
which they had received a special commission, 
and for which every true Church of Jesus Christ 
exists. As the storm of persecution began to 
subside, and members of the scattered flock be- 
gan to return, the Church resumed its former 
functions, but not in its former spirit. Much of 
the old-time fervor remained, and yet it soon 
became apparent that a lower keynote had been 
struck. A narrow and intolerant spirit began to 

7 



8 The Church of Pentecost 

manifest itself, and the long and bitter contest 
between the adherents of a narrow Judaism and 
the advocates of Christian freedom began at Je- 
rusalem, and continued until the final destruction 
of the city. The apostles lingered in and around 
the place for a few years, the Church was vener- 
ated, and its decisions respected by the general 
body of Christians in the East; but the glory of 
the Pentecostal era had in a large measure de- 
parted. With the death of Stephen, and the dis- 
persion of the early believers, the brief history of 
the Church of Pentecost as a distinct organiza- 
tion was brought to a close. Its work, however, 
was not finished. Its story fills one of the bright- 
est pages in human history, and in these latter 
days this simple story comes to us with lessons 
which all thoughtful Christians need to ponder 
well. 

Authorities differ as to the length of time 
which elapsed between the day of Pentecost and 
the death of Stephen. Some maintain that Ste- 
phen suffered martyrdom about four years after 
the organization of the Church, while others, 
comprising a large majority, put the date three 
years later.* Whichever date is adopted, it be- 

*The recently-expressed opinion of Harnack that the death 
of Stephen and dispersion of the first Christians occurred within 
the first year after the death of our Savior, has attracted atten- 
tion, but thus far has met with very limited acceptance. 



Introductory 9 

comes a matter of surprise that so much could 
have been accomplished in so short a time. The 
very fragmentary history which has come down 
to us omits nearly all details, and yet it is evident 
that immense progress had been made in various 
directions, and a vast amount of preparatory 
work accomplished in the way of preparing the 
early disciples for the difficult task which awaited 
them. If it be said that the Christians of that 
early day had nothing to do in the way of pre- 
paring literature, maturing systems of theology, 
promoting either general or special education, 
erecting places of worship, or completing 
schemes of elaborate organization such as 
Churches are expected to present in our day, it 
is sufficient to reply that in the absence of all 
these agencies which modern Christians gener- 
ally find so helpful, the success of the early 
Christians becomes still more marked. It was a 
success which was largely, and, indeed chiefly, 
confined to the* development of a high order of 
character. If the Christians of the Pentecostal 
Church did not found schools, or construct sys- 
tems of theology, they certainly succeeded in 
developing the purest standard of piety and the 
most noble type of character which the world has 
yet seen. 

When in these days of elaborate statistical 



io The Church of Pentecost 

tables we speak of notable results accomplished 
by a body of Christian workers, it seems to be 
expected that these results will at once be form- 
ally tabulated, and placed on record; but the 
best possible results are often such as can not be 
expressed in figures, or even in language. A 
noble character finds no place in a column of 
figures, and the equipment of a man like Stephen 
can not exactly be expressed in human language, 
and yet it is a main object of a Christian Church 
to develop character, and to equip believers for 
noble achievement. It is too often assumed that 
pure principles and lofty standards of Christian 
living are simply lessons to be learned from 
teachers or books, and put in practice with such 
fidelity as we may be able to exercise; but such 
is not the order of Christian development. Great 
ideas must first become incarnate in men and 
women who live among their fellows before they 
can be readily adopted by others. The Church 
of Pentecost made the world its debtor by raising 
up, in the course of a few years, a body of notable 
men, some of whom surpassed the apostles them- 
selves in breadth of view, clearness of vision, and 
equipment for service. In its membership it in- 
carnated a type of piety, a measure of fraternal 
love, an exhibition of unity both in feeling and 
thought, such as the world has looked upon 



Introductory 1 1 

with wonder ever since, and so far surpassing 
any known standard of our modern times, that 
Christians too generally assume that such 
ideals can no longer be realized in such a world 
as ours. 

It is hardly necessary to remark that certain 
popular notions prevail in reference to Pentecost 
and the Pentecostal era, which strikingly conflict 
with the statements above made. The miracu- 
lous manifestations which accompanied the gift 
of the Holy Spirit are freely acknowledged ; but 
the early Christians are too often regarded as a 
body of earnest but simple-minded men who 
made serious mistakes, and whose attempt to 
found a society upon a purely ideal model met 
with signal failure. All such attempts are re- 
garded by most persons as impracticable, espe- 
cially in the midst of such a state of society as we 
find around us at the present day. The failure of 
various attempts of misguided men to found set- 
tlements on communistic principles are cited as 
illustrations of the same kind of failure which at- 
tended a similar effort of the Christians after 
Pentecost. The plan adopted for helping the 
poor, large numbers of whom had been gathered 
into the early Church, is also referred to as an 
illustration of misguided charity. At best, the 
story of those early days is regarded as a mere 



12 The Church of Pentecost 

chapter in the general history of the Church. 
It is looked upon with interest solely because it 
is the opening chapter of a great history, and not 
because of any intrinsic merit in the story itself. 
Such views of that brief but memorable era do 
very great injustice, both to the first Christian 
converts and to the whole Christian Church. 
Nothing at all corresponding to the modern idea 
of communism ever existed in the Church of 
Pentecost, and it remains to be proved that the 
very praiseworthy assistance which was so freely 
given to the poor actually proved a failure in any 
proper sense of the word. 

Instead of regarding the Church of Pentecost 
as in any sense a failure, would it not be more 
in harmony with the spirit of the New Testa- 
ment, and a great deal more in harmony with the 
actual facts in the case, to suppose that God 
graciously placed this noble Church upon the 
threshold of Christian history as the nearest 
approach to an ideal Church which the world in 
the present dispensation could possibly see? 
May we not regard that Church as an object- 
lesson placed in full view before our eyes, to serve 
at once as a subject of careful study and of 
prayerful imitation? Should we not, in short, 
instead of looking back to this Church as a bright 
spot in Christian history, ever receding farther 



Introductory 1 3 

and farther from us, place it in the foreground, 
and keep it constantly in view as the ideal Church 
to which the universal Church of the present day 
is slowly tending, and toward which all earnest 
Christians should ardently press forward? I do 
not mean, of course, that all the details of its 
organization should be adopted in our day, or 
that mere matters of form or custom which were 
appropriate to an early age, should, or could, be 
introduced into Christian Churches at the begin- 
ning of the twentieth century; but the spirit of 
Pentecost still survives, and the standard of spir- 
itual life of that day is still maintained among 
multitudes of Christians in this world. Many 
questions which are agitating the public mind 
in our day were anticipated by the early Chris- 
tians to an extent which very few suspect. The 
normal standard of Christian experience, the 
normal law of Christian beneficence, the normal 
organization of Christian society, the normal at- 
titude of Christians toward what is called wealth, 
the normal measure of spiritual power in the 
Christian Church, and the normal variety and 
potency of spiritual gifts which Christians of all 
ages are entitled to expect — these and other kin- 
dred topics quickly suggest themselves to every 
Christian student who sits down to a careful 
study of the brief history of the Church of Pente- 



14 The Church of Pentecost 

cost, as recorded in the early chapters of the 
Book of Acts. 

The present is an era of extraordinary un- 
rest, — unrest in the religious world, the political 
and social world, and the industrial world. Men 
everywhere are asking for new solutions of old 
problems, and especially for plain paths out of 
the great tangled jungle of difficulties in which 
individuals and nations alike are found strug- 
gling. As Christians we exhort all men every- 
where to cry to God for guidance and help ; but 
God does not respond by giving us a new code 
of moral and civil laws, or a new framework for 
society, or a new basis of industrial organization. 
This is not the Divine method. On the other 
hand, he points to certain great unchanging prin- 
ciples, first clearly taught by our Savior, and il- 
lustrated by being incarnated in his person and 
exhibited in his life. These principles are abiding 
as the everlasting hills, and meet the wants of 
all ages. They animated the Church of Pente- 
cost, and made its brief history a picture of un- 
fading beauty. Legislation can never reform or 
save society; but the spirit and example of Jesus 
Christ, incarnated in his living disciples, can re- 
form legislation, make it the guide rather than 
the master of society, and, in the fullness of time, 
make the race so plastic in God's hands, that it 



Introductory 1 5 

can be fashioned according to his own infinite 
wisdom and righteous will. 

During the past few years it has become quite 
common in some communities to apply the term 
"Pentecostal" to a phase of advanced personal 
experience, and also to a class of public meet- 
ings held for the promotion of personal holiness, 
spiritual power, and kindred graces which per- 
tain to the higher walks of Christian discipleship. 
The term is by no means inappropriate when ap- 
plied to the highest possibilities of the Christian 
life, and is much to be preferred to some other 
terms which have gained a wide currency; but 
for this very reason it becomes the more impor- 
tant that it be correctly understood. All Chris- 
tian believers partake of Pentecostal blessings; 
but not many, it is to be feared, undertsand what 
the term implied in the days of Stephen and 
Barnabas and Philip and the many others who, 
when the providential signal was given, went 
everywhere preaching the Word. It would be 
well if those who preach and teach a Pentecostal 
standard of personal piety would make a special 
study of the conditions which prevailed in the 
original Church of Pentecost. As happens in the 
case of every other religious term which comes 
into general use, this word of good omen seems 
to be becoming conventional, and may easily be 



1 6 The Church of Pentecost 

made to mean much less than it did in the hal- 
lowed days of the first believers at Jerusalem. 
If the following pages should, with God's bless- 
ing, contribute anything toward a better under- 
standing of the character of the ancient Church 
of Pentecost, and a clearer realization of the 
privileges and responsibilities of the Christians 
who are nearing the threshold of the twentieth 
century, the writer will feel more than thankful 
that he has ventured to call attention to some of 
the lessons taught by the brief history of that 
ever illustrious Church. 



II 

THE CHARTER MEMBERS 

"The number of names together were about 
a hundred and twenty." This was a small, but 
no doubt a representative company. The names 
of 'only twenty-three of those present are known 
to us ; but it would seem from the remarks of the 
people who heard them speaking in diverse 
tongues, that they were all, or nearly all, Gali- 
leans. A few choice spirits from other regions, 
like the family at Bethany, may have been pres- 
ent, but for the most part the company was prob- 
ably made up of those who had sat long at the 
Master's feet in Galilee, and had followed him on 
his last sad journey to the scene of the world's 
greatest tragedy. Of all the thousands who 
openly espoused his cause, perhaps none were so 
well instructed, or had been so thoroughly tested, 
as those assembled in the upper room. They rep- 
resented their absent brethren and sisters, and 
also the myriads of coming ages who were to 
believe on the Messiah through their word. They 
were "about" one hundred and twenty in num- 
ber; that is, there were twelve apostles corre- 
sponding to the twelve tribes, with ten disciples 
2 17 



1 8 The Church of Pentecost 

allotted to each, the ten probably indicating the 
great multitude of believers of the coming ages, 
which were represented by the little company 
present. They had journeyed with the Master 
from the first, had been carefully instructed, and 
after his resurrection had received a measure of 
special illumination which fitted them in a pe- 
culiar way for the stupendous event in which 
they were about to take an important part. 

What was the spiritual status of those dis- 
ciples? Were they Christians, in the sense in 
which we use the word Christian at the present 
time? Were they what evangelical Christians in 
our day call "converted" persons? Were they 
regenerated believers, in the sense in which the 
term regenerated is popularly employed? Very 
much depends on the answers given to these and 
similar questions, so far as the application of the 
lessons of Pentecost to Christians of the present 
dispensation is concerned, and we need to give 
earnest heed to all the hints which the New Tes- 
tament gives us on the subject. We should also 
be careful to dismiss from our minds all modern 
phraseology and modern controversies, and try 
to follow the footsteps of the disciples as they 
were gradually prepared for their great initiation 
into the full privileges of accepted believers in the 
risen Son of God. 



The Charter Members 19 

When Jesus selected his disciples in Galilee 
they were, with one exception, simply average 
Jews, with Jewish ideas, and with no higher ideal 
of personal piety than that furnished by the Jew- 
ish standard as expressed in the most advanced 
portions of the Old Testament. How very low 
that standard was but few Christians of the pres- 
ent day seem able to realize. Whether we view the 
subject from the standpoint of inner experience 
or of outward conduct, a vast chasm separates be- 
tween the "least" under the Christian dispensa- 
tion, and the "greatest" under that of the Old 
Testament. From Moses to Malachi no Old 
Testament saint had ever heard of such a thing 
as loving an enemy, nor had the idea dawned 
upon any one's mind that there was, or could be, 
anything wrong in cherishing a burning desire 
for revenge when smarting under a sense of per- 
sonal injury. The first elements of a Christian 
experience existed, no doubt, in the hearts of 
God's people in the most remote ages, but only 
in outline. The Sermon on the Mount put a 
new and deeper meaning into terms with which 
God's saints of all ages had been familiar, and 
from the proclamation by our Savior of the king- 
dom of God new privileges were set before all 
God's people, and new responsibilities were laid 
upon them. It thenceforth became impossible 



20 The Church of Pentecost 

to measure the Jewish saint and the Christian 
disciple by the same standard. 

If it be said, as it often is said, that right is 
forever right, and wrong forever wrong, and that 
it is impossible to set up two standards of morals, 
adapted to different eras, it is sufficient to reply 
that any and every standard of moral conduct 
must' in the nature of the case rise or sink down- 
ward in exact proportion to the light in which it 
is viewed. We need not go back twenty cen- 
turies for illustrations of this well-established fact. 
John Newton in his youth thought he did God 
service in helping to transport slaves from Africa 
to America. Sir Matthew Hale believed that 
witches should be severely punished', and many 
God-fearing men have thought it right to perse- 
cute heretics. God has given light to the world 
as rapidly as the race has been prepared to re- 
ceive it, and if it be true that the ancient Jewish 
standard of morals and religion was a very low 
one, we must also remember that it marked an 
amazing advance beyond that of any other peo- 
ple at that period of human history. 

The first disciples were intelligent, honest, and 
apparently earnest young men, who accepted the 
Jewish religion and Jewish Scriptures without 
question. They differed from the mass of their 
fellow-countrymen only in the fact that they ac- 



The Charter Members 21 

cepted the proclamation of the kingdom of God 
by their Master, and also accepted him as the 
long-promised Messiah. Up to the morning of 
their Master's resurrection they had not ad- 
vanced very far beyond hundreds of other devout 
Jews, and even after that startling event had 
taken place, and after many mysteries had been 
explained to them, they were still unable to divest 
their minds of the persistent idea that a material 
kingdom was to be set up in the miserable and 
wicked city of Jerusalem. A certain special 
measure of the Spirit had been given them ; their 
"understanding" had been "opened," the Master 
had breathed upon them, and invoked the de- 
scent of the Spirit upon them, and precious les- 
sons had been freely imparted to them; but to 
the last they only comprehended dimly the amaz- 
ing events which had transpired, and which were 
daily transpiring before their eyes. They were 
as yet very far below the least of those who, in 
the fullness of the present dispensation, know Je- 
sus Christ as a risen Savior, know God as a rec- 
onciled Father, and bear in their hearts the wit- 
ness of adoption, the hope of immortality, and 
those fruits of the Spirit which attest the indwell- 
ing of the Spirit in the believer's heart. 

The word "converted," as popularly used to 
express that change of heart and conduct which 



22 The Church of Pentecost 

marks the beginning of the Christian life, is not, 
strictly speaking, a Scriptural term, and even in 
its more limited sense it has disappeared from the 
Revised Version. Its general use as indicative 
of the broad change which marks the beginning 
of a regenerate life, can no doubt be traced to the 
language of Peter, as found in the Authorized 
Version, "Repent, therefore, and be converted," 
etc. But modern Christians have in this, as in 
other like cases, put a meaning into an old Eng- 
lish word which originally did not belong to it. 
Peter simply exhorted his hearers to turn, to re- 
verse their course in life, and pointed out to them 
how that by so doing they might attain to the 
marvelous change, and become partakers of the 
Divine gifts which the Galileans had received. 

What, then, was the exact position of the 
assembled company on the eve of Pentecost? 
Were they "converted," in the usual modern 
sense of the word? Manifestly not. Not one 
even of the apostles knew as much of the Spirit's 
work in the heart as a child of ten or twelve, liv- 
ing in the fullness of the present dispensation, 
can know, and does know, after finding Christ by 
the simple way of repentance and faith. Not one 
of them could have expounded the doctrine of 
the witness of the Spirit. Not even John could 
have given an intelligent commentary on our 



The Charter Members 23 

Savior's discourse with Nicodemus. They had 
all seen the risen Christ ; but to none of them had 
he yet become the "hope of glory." They had 
seen their lately crucified Master alive again ; but 
to none of their inner souls had life and immor- 
tality been "brought to light." They were, in 
short, like recent sleepers roused from slumber 
in the early dawn, and waiting for a glorious 
sunrise. 

But if these men were not what in our day are 
called "converted" persons, much less were they 
in the religious sense of the word merely adher- 
ents of the Jewish religion. They had crossed 
their Rubicon, and had left Judaism behind them 
forever. They believed in Jesus as the long-ex- 
pected Messiah, and had accepted him as such. 
They had heard his proclamation of the kingdom 
of God, and had yielded themselves up as mem- 
bers of this kingdom, however imperfectly they 
understood it. They had accepted the idea of a 
suffering Messiah, had become witnesses of the 
resurrection of their Master, and were now ex- 
pectant believers, waiting for a manifestation of 
the Holy Spirit, the exact nature of which they 
did not, and could not, understand. In short, 
they were in a state of transition. They had 
turned away from the dead past, had been in a 
sense cast out by Judaism, but had not yet en- 



24 The Church of Pentecost 

tered into the light and liberty of Christian be- 
lievers. But they were believers, believers in 
Jesus Christ as a risen Savior, and they were 
expectant believers. They were waiting for a 
manifestation which their Master had assured 
them would come at an early day. Their po- 
sition was peculiar, and in one respect unlike that 
of any believers at the present day. Through all 
the long days of their expectant waiting, and up 
to nine o'clock of the last eventful morning, they 
were held back by the fact that the dispensation 
of the Spirit had not yet been inaugurated. a The 
Spirit had not yet been given." But, God be 
praised, that hindrance has now been removed 
forever, and from that glad morning down to 
the latest moment of time the Holy Spirit has 
been, and forever shall be, the present free gift 
of God to all believers. 

The little company of expectant disciples who 
had gathered together on the ever-memorable 
morning of Pentecost was made up of represent- 
ative men and women. They were representa- 
tive persons in a double sense ; they were worthy 
members of a large brotherhood of believers of 
like spirit who had avowed their adherence to 
Jesus as the Messiah, and they were about to 
embrace the privilege, to be illustrated in their 
own persons, of the fullness of blessing which 



The Charter Members 25 

was to become the common heritage of un- 
counted myriads in the ages to come. They were 
about to step within the veil, to appear in the im- 
mediate presence of the throne, and to receive in 
their own persons the purifying and illuminating 
touch of the awful Shekinah which dwelt between 
the cherubim. For centuries to come earnest 
souls in all parts of the world were to look back 
eagerly to their morning of blessing, and long to 
share the privileges and receive the amazing 
measure of blessing which was to become theirs. 
The hundred and twenty disciples were not privi- 
leged above and beyond all their fellows; they 
only led the van, only were made the first partici- 
pants in the fullness of blessing, which was to be 
offered to all believers throughout all coming- 
ages. 

These privileged disciples also fairly repre- 
sented, no doubt, the large body of believers who 
had become the recognized followers of Jesus 
throughout Palestine. It is a mistake to assume, 
as some have done, that these were few in num- 
ber; that vast numbers had proved unfaithful to 
their first profession of allegiance, and that the 
hundred and twenty who were found in the upper 
room were about all that were left of the multi- 
tudes who had followed the Master along the 
highways of Galilee. After his resurrection, Je- 



26 The Church of Pentecost 

sus appeared to many of his disciples, and on one 
occasion no less than five hundred persons were 
present, and became witnesses that he had truly 
risen from the dead. * At an early period in his 
ministry he had been able to send out no less 
than seventy evangelists, who made extensive 
tours throughout the towns and villages, and 
met with astonishing success. A carefully-or- 
ganized band of preachers pushing the work of 
evangelization with the utmost zeal and vigor, 
and pursuing the pathway of uninterrupted suc- 
cess, must have gathered around them a large 
band of permanent disciples. We have no record 
of any defection so widespread and complete as 
to justify a supposition that all of these hundreds, 
and no doubt thousands, of accepted disciples 
had forsaken both the Master and his cause, and 
hence it may safely be assumed that the little 
company in Jerusalem had been selected as rep- 
resentatives of their brethren and sisters who 
were unable to leave their homes in the sur- 
rounding towns and villages. 

Why, then, was the transcendent privilege of 
Pentecost limited to so few? Why were not the 
whole body of believing disciples gathered to- 
gether in Jerusalem, or on Tabor, and an impress- 
ive pageant enacted worthy of the beginning of a 
new era, the inauguration of a new dispensation? 



The Charter Members 27 

To such questions it is sufficient to reply that 
with the fading away of the dispensation of types 
and shadows, no place remained for such a spec- 
tacular display as human vanity would have 
craved. Simplicity became henceforth the law of 
divine procedure. Jacob's well had now become 
as sacred and as favored a spot as the temple, 
and the gorgeous ritual of the Jewish priests must 
henceforth give place to the intelligent prayers, 
"uttered or unexpressed," of the childlike dis- 
ciples of Him who* had now become the High 
Priest of the human race. What was needed to 
mark such an event as the full inauguration of a 
new dispensation of such a character as this, was 
a manifestation which would be clear, intelligible, 
and impressive, to those who were able to receive 
spiritual lessons without any admixture of earthly 
grandeur, or worldly pomp and display. More 
than ever the kingdom of God was now to be- 
come a distinctive power in the world, animated 
by a different spirit, and governed by higher laws 
than those which the children of this world had 
recognized. 

We know very little concerning the personal 
characteristics of the favored hundred and twenty 
in the upper room. The most prominent among 
them were fishermen, but it does not follow that 
they were poor in the strict sense of that word; 



28 The Church of Pentecost 

nor does it follow that they were all ignorant 
and illiterate peasants because the caste-bound 
literati of Jerusalem regarded them as unlearned 
and ignorant men. There are many false stand- 
ards of culture and intelligence in the world of 
our own day. The Brahman priest despises the 
learning of the schoolboy who has acquired more 
useful knowledge in a year than the priest has 
done in a lifetime, and the Moslem saint who 
can repeat every word of the Koran from mem- 
ory, looks with contempt on the otherwise intel- 
ligent people around him who can not even read 
a line of Arabic. The first disciples were prob- 
ably persons of good brain power, of practical 
sense, of fair intelligence, and if not learned in the 
sense in which that term was understood among 
the literary pedants of Jerusalem, they were yet 
well informed, and were in closer touch with the 
hearts and minds of their fellow-men than were 
their narrow-minded critics. They probably rep- 
resented very fairly the average manhood and 
womanhood of Galilee. They were not by any 
means rich, and probably were not, in the strict 
sense of the word, poor. They enjoyed no recog- 
nition from the fashionable society of the day, 
but they were evidently on fairly equal terms with 
the masses among whom they moved. In short, 
their Master had, in selecting his pioneers, evi- 



The Charter Members 29 

dently adopted the policy which he still follows. 
The leaders in Christian work are for the most 
part still chosen from the ranks which represent 
the largest number of people. 

It is sometimes said that the first Christians, 
although good and devoted men, had no one 
among them of sufficient culture and ability to 
formulate a new theology, or give the new re- 
ligion a commanding position in the world, and 
that the cultured and accomplished Paul had to 
be raised up to meet this want. Hence we are 
reminded of similar conditions at the present day, 
and missionary managers are gravely told that 
simple men of the people can never make a deep 
or lasting impression upon such communities as 
are found in the great Asiatic mission-fields ; but 
such advisers forget that these very men did suc- 
ceed in making a most extraordinary impression 
upon this very man of culture, — first rousing him 
to the highest pitch of hostile opposition, and 
then leading him in lamblike submissiveness out 
into light and peace. Men of culture have their 
uses; but the best culture is not always that 
which the world esteems as such. The first dis- 
ciples were men of rarest culture in all the ele- 
ments of noble manhood, and yet in the eyes of 
the temple hierarchy they were ignorant village 
peasants. The best manhood makes the best 



30 The Church of Pentecost 

Christian ; but the most learned and polished men 
are by no means always endowed with the best 
manhood. If we may estimate the worth of these 
disciples by what they accomplished, it will suf- 
fice to say that they nobly fulfilled their own 
mission, and at the same time speedily raised up 
men of like mind who proved not only equal, but 
even superior to their leaders. 



m 

PENTECOST 

Every view of Pentecost is incomplete which 
does not connect it with the great work which 
our Savior came to earth to accomplish. It was 
the concluding act in a series of great events, 
which, taken together, constituted the full con- 
summation of his mission to our earth. When 
Jesus cried out on the cross, "It is finished !" he 
could not have meant that the mighty task which 
he had undertaken was now completed ; for death 
and the grave were yet to be despoiled, and the 
work of bringing a revolted world back to its 
allegiance to the King of kings had not yet been 
fully inaugurated. His struggle with the legions 
of hell, the awful agony of lone contact with the 
powers of sin and death, his self-devotion to a 
life in the likeness of sinful men, and his agoniz- 
ing death upon the cross — all these were now 
over; but the cry of the dying Sufferer only 
marked the close of the last scene in the awful 
tragedy which was taking place. Three days 
later, as the Prince of Life, he rose from the dead, 
and asserted full authority over all realms of 

31 



32 The Church of Pentecost 

earth and heaven ; but this did not complete the 
mission on which he had come, nor even later, 
when he ascended from Olivet, could it be said 
that he had at last finished his mission among 
men. Had no Pentecost followed the ascension, 
the story of Calvary and the resurrection would 
probably have long since been forgotten, or at 
best w T ould have only found a place among the 
mysterious records of a remote era in which later 
generations could have felt little special interest. 
We should never forget that Jesus came to 
earth as the Mediator of a new covenant. The 
old covenant, which had constituted the founda- 
tion of the Jewish system, and which had been 
given through the mediation of Moses, had failed, 
and in the homely language of the author of the 
Epistle to the Hebrews, God had found fault with 
it. In its stead a new and everlasting covenant 
was to be established, and to accomplish this task, 
Jesus, the Messiah of prophecy, had appeared 
among men, had proclaimed the terms of the 
covenant, had hallowed it with his own blood, 
had committed its proclamation into the hands of 
trusted disciples, and had ascended to a seat upon 
the joint throne of the universe, leaving behind 
him a promise that the covenant which he had 
established was to be made effective through the 
immediate agency of the Holy Spirit. It is often, 



Pentecost 3 3 

if not indeed generally, assumed, that when 
Christ had finished his visible work on earth he 
withdrew from the scene, while God the Father 
poured out his Spirit upon the disciples, and in- 
augurated the great work for which Christ had 
come to prepare the way. Such, however, is not 
the exact teaching of Scripture. Jesus himself 
was the Lord of Pentecost. The work of that 
wonderful morning was his work, and formed a 
most important part of that task which he came 
to earth to accomplish. He had expressly prom- 
ised that he would send the Spirit to them, and 
when Peter stood up to explain the astonishing 
phenomenon which had taken place to his Jew- 
ish hearers, he distinctly told them that Jesus, 
who had been exalted to a seat at the right hand 
of God, had shed forth that which they saw and 
heard. In other words, the outpouring of the 
Spirit on the morning of Pentecost was the final 
completion of the great work of human redemp- 
tion. A way of reconciliation had been prepared 
and presented to the human race, and now this 
reconciliation was to be made, in the broadest 
and most far-reaching sense of the word, effect- 
ual and real. 

When Moses dedicated, or ratified, the first 
covenant at Mount Sinai, we read that he led 
seventy elders, who w T ould appear to have been 
3 



34 The Church of Pentecost 

representatives of the people, up into the mount, 
and that an altar having been duly prepared and 
the prescribed offerings presented thereon, he 
took of the blood of the victims and sprinkled not 
only the altar, but the seventy elders and the 
"book of the covenant," and thus solemnly hal- 
lowed the people, and on their behalf accepted 
the terms of the covenant which God was making 
with them. The occasion was extraordinary in 
every way. The sacred mountain had just been 
the scene of the most awful manifestation of the 
Divine presence which mortal eyes have ever be- 
held. While the great rocky range trembled on 
its base, Sinai itself was shrouded in thick dark- 
ness below, and crowned with a devouring flame 
upon its crest. Blackness and darkness and 
tempest added to the awful grandeur of the scene, 
while the sound of a trumpet louder than that of 
the archangel had summoned the people to listen 
to the proclamation of God's law. This law had 
now been proclaimed, the people had promised 
obedience, and Moses and the elders had gone up 
into the mount for the formal and solemn ratifi- 
cation of the covenant. There God met with 
them, giving them in vision an extraordinary 
manifestation .of his presence, while cloud and 
flame again attested to the people that they were 
in the Divine presence, and that God was putting 



Pentecost 35 

his seal upon his covenant with them. No won- 
der that for long centuries the picture of that 
awful scene was deeply impressed upon the minds 
of the Jewish people, giving them a vivid sense 
of the ineffable holiness and majesty of God, and 
teaching them what it was to tremble at his 
Word. They received an impression, not soon 
to be effaced, of the awful sanctions which had 
been affixed to God's laws, and they were made 
to feel as deeply as persons of their grade of in- 
telligence and moral development could feel, the 
solemn nature of the obligations which they as- 
sumed under the covenant which God was mak- 
ing with them, as individuals and as a people. 
Over against this awe-inspiring display we must 
now place the more simple, but much more ex- 
pressive and "reasonable," manifestation which 
took place on the morning of Pentecost. The 
sacrifice upon Calvary had taken place, and our 
poor earth had been sprinkled with the precious 
blood of the Lamb of God, which was to take 
away the sin of the world. A way of forgiveness 
had been found, a new legal code, marvelously 
condensed into the single word, Love, had been 
proclaimed, and new privileges before unheard 
of, and up to that hour beyond the comprehen- 
sion of the race, had been graciously provided; 
new light had been thrown upon the future by 



36 The Church of Pentecost 

drawing aside the veil, and giving men a clear 
glimpse of immortality, and now a new destiny 
was offered to the whole human race. In short, 
new possibilities appeared upon the horizon, and 
a new era was about to dawn upon humanity. 

But all these great and gracious blessings 
were dependent upon something which had not 
yet appeared. The new covenant had been very 
clearly proclaimed and illustrated, but as yet it 
was without the living power which was abso- 
lutely necessary to make it effective. The most 
perfect covenant which could be made between 
God and men must forever fail if it is to consist 
of nothing more than a legal statement of privi- 
leges and obligations. The superiority of the 
new covenant over the old must depend, not on 
the terms in which it had been proclaimed, but 
on the power to make it effective, and here we see 
how necessary it was that Pentecost should be 
added to all that Christ had accomplished. It 
was the completion of his great work, and is as 
inseparable from his mission to earth as was the 
resurrection, or, indeed, we might almost say, his 
atoning death on Calvary. Without it, the great 
plan of salvation must, in the nature of the case, 
have been brought to an abrupt close before it 
was fully inaugurated among men. 

The morning of Pentecost witnessed what 



Pentecost 37 

might not improperly be called the Advent of the 
Holy Spirit. If it be objected that the Eternal 
Spirit had been in the world from the beginning ; 
that He appears on the very first page of Revela- 
tion ; that both in creation and in providence his 
agency had always been recognized, and that the 
saints of the Old Testament had known him as 
the source both of inspiration and spiritual 
power; it is sufficient to reply that Christ also, as 
the Eternal Son, had been in the world from the 
beginning; that in both creation and providence 
the Son had been the directing, as the Spirit had 
been the efficient, agency through which all the 
mighty works of God had been carried forward. 
But while the Son had been in the world from the 
beginning, it was only on the morning of the 
Advent at Bethlehem that he appeared as the Son 
of man and the incarnate Son of God, In like 
manner the Spirit had been in the world, and had 
been recognized among the servants of God in all 
ages; but in his full manifestation as the Para- 
clete, as the abiding Comforter who had come 
into the world to give potency to the various 
agencies which Jesus had provided, and to carry 
forward to its full consummation the great work 
which he had inaugurated, the Spirit had not be- 
fore been known among men. His coming had 
been foretold, and when it actually occurred it 



38 The Church of Pentecost 

was as truly a Divine advent as had been that of 
the Savior whom he came to represent. His 
coming marked the opening of a new era, — the 
final closing of one dispensation, and the full 
opening and formal inauguration of another. 

The present is sometimes called the dispensa- 
tion of the Holy Spirit; but this title can hardly 
be properly applied to our era. Ours is the 
Christian dispensation, and Christ is still our 
Lord and King. When the Spirit was promised, 
it was expressly stated that he would not speak 
by his own authority, — "He shall not speak of 
himself, but whatsoever he shall hear that shall he 
speak." In his office as Paraclete he represents 
Jesus Christ, takes up the work which Jesus laid 
clown when he ascended on high, and carries for- 
ward, and will continue to carry forward, this 
work until it is fully and finally accomplished. 
The title Paraclete has received many definitions, 
and has been the subject of some little contro- 
versy, and it is possible that a perfectly satisfac- 
tory equivalent of the Greek term has not yet 
been found in our language. The word "Com- 
forter" has many precious associations, and will 
probably hold its place in any and all English 
versions which may be made ; but we do not often 
think of our Savior as a comforter. Jesus, how- 
ever, spoke of the Spirit as "another Paraclete," 



Pentecost 39 

— one like himself, one who is to take up his 
work and make it universal. Jesus was more 
than a Comforter to his own and to the race, and 
whatever title will best express what our Savior 
was, and what he aimed permanently to do 
among men, is the word to employ when we at- 
tempt to express the meaning of the word Para- 
clete. It would perhaps have been well if the 
word had been left untranslated ; but we can not 
fail to be reminded when we use it, that the pres- 
ent office of this "other" Paraclete on earth is to 
do the work of the world's Savior, and hence the 
present is, and must continue to be, the dispen- 
sation of grace and truth in Jesus Christ. 

The abiding Paraclete entered upon his mis- 
sion among men with a solemn promise — with, 
indeed, a covenant obligation — to remain among 
the disciples of Jesus as long as they remained on 
earth. Unlike the incarnate Son, his was not to 
be a transient stay. The morning of Pentecost 
was not to be the brightest and best of all the 
mornings of earth, but rather the ushering-in of 
an era of abounding grace, an era which was to 
abound more and more in tokens of God's favor 
for long ages to come. The Christian believer 
should ever bear in mind that the Holy Spirit of 
Pentecost is in our world to-day, and is present 
in all the plentitude of power which attended his 



40 The Church of Pentecost 

first coming upon the disciples at Jerusalem. 
Whatever may be said concerning the evil which 
is in the world, whether evil men are still waxing 
worse and worse, or whether the world is grow- 
ing better, the promises of God remain un- 
changed. Believers still enjoy their full measure 
of privilege, and the Holy Spirit is still the Para- 
clete who abides in believing hearts, and makes 
effective the promises in which Christian dis- 
ciples trust. 

Too often we may hear earnest men and 
women praying for a repetition of Pentecost, as 
if they hardly realized that when the Spirit came, 
he came once for all. They seem to think that 
the first Pentecost was a kind of model prayer- 
meeting, and exhort one another to unite in ear- 
nest prayer, as did the first disciples, that the 
Spirit may be poured upon them as in the 
beginning. Without intending it, without, in- 
deed, knowing it, they drift into the bewildering 
thought that Pentecost was only one of a long 
series of similar manifestations, to be repeated in 
myriad places, and through all generations to 
come. They thus assume that all believers are 
expected to wait for the Spirit's baptism, as the 
disciples waited at Jerusalem. Many of the ex- 
hortations which we hear at prayer-meetings are 
based on this mistaken idea, and many immature 



Pentecost 41 

disciples are led into doubt and darkness by try- 
ing to obey an exhortation to seek for the Para- 
clete whom they have long since found. It is one 
thing to accept a gracious promise and receive 
the Spirit, and quite another thing to seek for a 
special manifestation, or for special help. 

When Sir Samuel Baker was making explora- 
tions in the region of the Upper Nile, he chanced 
to pitch his tent one evening upon the sands of 
a dry bed of a large river. The heat was stifling, 
and the surrounding hills and valleys looked as if 
no drop of water had fallen for years. About 
midnight Sir Samuel was aroused from sleep by 
his Arab guard calling out in great alarm, "The 
river! the river!" He sprang from his cot, and 
hearing the rush and roar of an approaching 
flood, knew that the rains had suddenly burst 
upon the mountains, and that the dry sands 
would soon be swept by a rushing torrent. He 
'had barely time to escape before the flood was 
upon him. Having gained a safe place on the 
bank of the stream, he again lay down to sleep, 
and when he awoke next morning he found that 
the whole scene had been transformed. The 
birds were singing in the trees overhead, the peo- 
ple were rejoicing in their huts and fields, and a 
broad river twelve or fifteen feet deep was flow- 
ing quietly within its banks. The Arab peasants 



42 The Church of Pentecost 

began at once to take advantage of the coming 
of the river, by opening channels along which 
the water might flow into their little fields. No 
one among them seemed distressed by the 
thought that the river might not stay. It had 
come for the whole season. They trusted the 
ordinary course of nature without a moment's 
hesitation. They rejoiced in the presence of the 
river, and yet each one knew that to make its 
waters available for his own little field, it 
would be necessary for him to open a channel in 
which the water might flow from .the river to the 
field for which it was needed. 

The Prophet Ezekiel tells how he once saw in 
vision waters flowing from out the temple at 
Jerusalem, gradually increasing in volume, and 
carrying life and healing in their course as they 
turned towards one of the most blighted spots on 
earth. At the close of his wonderful visions on 
Patmos, the Apostle John saw in clearer outline 
this healing stream flowing, not as before from 
the temple, but from the throne of God and the 
Lamb. The temple in Jerusalem had served its 
purpose, and now was superseded forever. Jeru- 
salem the Golden had now become one vast Holy 
of Holies, while all believers had become priests 
unto God, and had gained immediate access to 
the Mercy Seat on high. The Savior himself had 



Pentecost 43 

taught the disciples that by the water of life was 
meant the Spirit of the living God, and thus the 
beloved disciple was favored with a vision of the 
Eternal Spirit, under the symbol of the river of 
water of life, forever proceeding from the Father 
and from the Son, and carrying healing in its 
course to all the blighted nations of earth. 

Pentecost did for all believers what the mid- 
night flood did for Sir Samuel Baker — it ushered 
the coming of the river of the water of life which 
was to flow till the end of time. All believers 
become heirs to this life-giving Spirit, and all 
should think of him, and speak of him, as a 
living Presence in this world, pledged to remain 
among God's people for evermore. 

The believer, however, may still pray for the 
gift of the Spirit, but he does so as the peasant 
opened the way for the rill of water which was to 
connect his little garden with the brimful river 
from the mountains. We may pray for a Pente- 
costal blessing without denying the immediate 
presence of the Pentecostal Spirit. We have not 
been enjoined to wait, perhaps for days, but are 
assured that the water of life flows evermore in 
full view of the eye of faith. We may seek for 
special manifestations of the Holy One in times 
of special need, as, for instance, when commis- 
sioned to perform special service, or to endure 



44 The Church of Pentecost 

peculiar trials. In air this, however, we are only 
availing ourselves of the ever-present help of the 
Spirit, and not practically forgetting that the out- 
pouring of Pentecost ever occurred. 

No Christian believer should be misled so far 
as to limit the possibilities of Divine grace under 
the present dispensation, under any possible cir- 
cumstances. If there is any difference between 
the position of the latter-day believer and the first 
members of the Church of Pentecost, it is all in 
favor of the modern Christian, rather than of the 
primitive believers. Those of us who live in the 
closing years of the nineteenth century have all 
the promises which they had received, and in ad- 
dition enjoy many other exceeding great and 
precious promises of which they had never heard. 
We have equal access to the same Mercy Seat, 
we trust in the same Savior, we receive the gra- 
cious help of the same Holy Spirit, and in addi- 
tion to all this we have the examples of multi- 
tudes of believers, the encouragement which 
comes to us from considering God's dealings 
with our fathers and with the saints of old, the 
accumulated experience of hosts of Christian dis- 
ciples, many of whom have been peers of the holy 
men and women of old in all the essentials of holy 
manhood and womanhood; and so far from as- 
suming for a moment that we can only stand afar 



Pentecost 45 

off and partake in limited measure of the gifts of 
God's abounding grace, we should remember 
that it is our privilege to live as near God as any 
people in any age have ever done. We should 
excuse ourselves from no obligation, however 
startling it may be, on the ground that Pentecost 
means less to us than it did to the disciples in the 
upper room long ages ago. 

That intangible and mysterious something 
which we call electricity has been in our world in 
full measure since the birth of time ; but it means 
vastly more to us of the present generation than 
it did to our ancestors of past centuries, or even 
our fathers of the first half of the present century. 
Dr. Franklin tapped the clouds and drew the 
electric spark down to earth, and by so doing 
made the unknown power mean more to the race 
than it had ever done before. Professor Morse 
erected his wire and taught the world how the 
electric current could be made to write at a place 
a thousand miles away, and the world drew 
nearer and began to surmise that other and 
greater possibilities lay concealed in the subtle 
agency which could work so great a wonder. 
Then as time passed, Edison and others appeared 
and began to make this invisible power speak for 
them, and laying hands upon the blinding light- 
ning they made it illuminate streets and homes, 



46 The Church of Pentecost 

and finally yoked it to trains of heavy cars, where 
it is now quietly doing the bidding of frail mor- 
tals with an obedience that never fails. No won- 
der that now, when Tesla appears upon the scene 
and proposes still more wonderful feats, people 
are prepared to believe almost anything possible 
which he may promise. And yet the store of 
electricity is just the same that it was when the 
red Indians roamed over America and the cave- 
dwellers struggled for a wretched existence 
among the forests of Europe. In fullest measure 
it has been present through all the ages past ; but 
it is a greater power among men to-day than ever 
before, because the men of to-day profit by the 
achievements of their predecessors, and know 
how to utilize the amazing properties of an omni- 
present natural power which shows a wonderful 
capacity for becoming man's servant. 

It is thus, too, with Pentecost. The Holy 
Spirit in full measure has been in our world, and 
within call of every believer, since the first morn- 
ing of the era, but only here and there has the 
Christian Franklin or the Christian Edison ap- 
peared to demonstrate the possibilities which are 
offered to all, but which the mass of believers 
seem strangely reluctant to put to the test. 
When, however, a courageous and devoted stu- 
dent of spiritual dynamics accepts God's promise 



Pentecost 47 

in its fullness, carefully observes all required con- 
ditions, and startles those around him by demon- 
strating the fact that Pentecost is ours, and is as 
much to us as it was to the hundred and twenty 
at noon of the day on which the cloven tongues 
of flame appeared, a profound impression is 
made, and multitudes draw near and learn how 
to seek and find the same blessing. It was thus 
with John Wesley. He read of the Spirit, heard 
the testimony of others, sought, believed, and at 
last found his heart "strangely warmed." A 
million others might have done so before him, 
but it was left for him to lead the way. When he 
began to testify that his heart had become a liv- 
ing temple of God's Holy Spirit, a new power 
attended his w r ord. Thousands and tens of thou- 
sands were able to realize that the River of Water 
of Life was no longer a vision to be gazed upon 
in the distant skies, but a living and healing 
stream flowing through the waste places of earth, 
and within easy reach of every thirsting soul. 
The Holy Spirit is not in the world in any fuller 
measure now than when Mr. Wesley first began 
to proclaim his testimony ; but millions of believ- 
ing Christians are nearer to God and nearer to 
the realization of the Pentecostal day than they 
would have been if Mr. Wesley had never lived. 
As with Mr. W T esley, so it has been in greater or 



48 The Church of Pentecost 

less measure with thousands of others, through 
whom God, the Father, and Christ, the Son, and 
the Holy Spirit, the hallowed Paraclete, seem to 
have been brought nearer to men, and to be more 
within call of the human race, than they were 
five hundred or a thousand years ago. 

During my first year in India, while living 
among the lower Himalayas, I chanced when out 
for an evening walk to see a beautiful scarlet- 
colored flower upon a low branch of a large tree 
which overhung my pathway. I had never seen 
the Himalayan rhododendron before, and of 
course did not recognize this flower. I pulled 
down the branch and admired the beauty of the 
flower, but did not inspect it closely. A week 
later, when walking along the same path, my at- 
tention was again called to the same flower. I 
caught the branch and pulled it down near me, 
but was surprised to see that the flower had 
doubled its size. I had not noticed on the first 
occasion that it was really only half open, and 
now, instead of seeing one scarlet flower, I found 
that more than a dozen bell-shaped flowers had 
been concealed in its bosom, and the whole pre- 
sented a wonderful mass of glowing beauty. It 
has often seemed to me since that day, when 
thinking of God's rich and full provision for his 
spiritual children, that Pentecost was like that 



Pentecost 49 

unfolding flower. It has held, and still holds in 
its bosom, rich stores of blessing far beyond any- 
thing which the most advanced believers have 
yet been able to appropriate. The Church of 
Jesus Christ has yet to prove the power of that 
grace which is equal to the uttermost demands of 
our universal humanity. God has for ages been 
challenging his saints to prove him, and put his 
promises to the test, and he holds, in store an 
infinite reserve of spiritual resources which a 
million worlds could never lessen. But where 
are the Christian Franklins and Edisons, who 
with holy daring will lead the way in demonstrat- 
ing the transcendent privileges, the boundless 
possibilities, which lie within easy reach of those 
who realize the full meaning of the Pentecostal 
dispensation? The demand of the hour is for a 
spiritual race of men and women who dare to 
attempt great things and to expect great things. 
Pioneers in faith are needed quite as much, and 
even more, than in science, or mechanical inven- 
tion, or any other department of human activity. 
May God speedily raise up and thrust forward a 
race of men and women who shall be able to ap- 
preciate the glorious era in which we are privi- 
leged to live ! 



IV 
THE MIGHTY BAPTISM 

"I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I 
cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose : 
He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire."— I/uke 
hi, 16. 

" Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and re- 
maining on him, the same is He which baptizeth with the Holy 
Ghost."— John i, 33. 

"Wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have 
heard of me. For John truly baptized with water ; but ye shall 
be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence."— Acts 
I, 4, 5- 

The disciples who waited at Jerusalem for the 
fulfillment of their Master's promise must have 
thought much, and talked much, of the probable 
character of the great event which they knew to 
be near at hand. The intimations given them 
had not been very clear-— no' doubt for the reason 
that they could not have understood a more defi- 
nite account of a manifestation which was to be 
in all its permanent elements wholly spiritual. 
They had heard of a power with which they were 
to be clothed, and they had also been taught 
many things concerning the offices of the Para- 
clete when he should come; but it is probable 

50 



The Mighty Baptism 51 

that the idea which would take clearest hold upon 
their minds was that of being baptized with the 
Holy Spirit. They had become perfectly familiar 
with the baptism of water, had witnessed it al- 
most daily, and knew its import. They had heard 
also of the baptism of fire, but no doubt under- 
stood that whatever outward form this might 
assume, it was only to be a symbol of the real 
baptism, the abiding impartation of the Holy 
Spirit. In other words, the distinctive feature of 
the great event which awaited them was to be 
the baptism of believing disciples with the Holy 
Spirit, and when the event occurred, this expec- 
tation was fully realized. The baptism of the 
Spirit became the chief feature of the Pentecostal 
manifestation, and will continue to be its chief 
feature until the close of the present dispensation. 
In view of this striking fact, in view of the ex- 
plicit predictions of the event, and the still more 
explicit nature of the manifestation when it first 
occurred, it is a marvel how far most modern 
Christians have failed to grasp the spiritual 
meaning of the plain lessons which the mighty 
baptism of Pentecost set before the Christian 
Church. We hear much on the general subject 
of baptism. Volume after volume has been writ- 
ten concerning it, but nearly always in a contro- 
versial spirit. Theory after theory has been ad- 



52 The Church of Pentecost 

vanced, and the most opposite extremes have 
been advocated ; but where a hundred books have 
been written on questions of mode, or its cere- 
monial import, hardly one has been written on 
the real essence of the whole question, the true 
meaning of the words, ''baptized with the Holy 
Spirit." One affirms that the baptism of water 
unites us to the Church, and, in consequence, to 
Christ, of whom the Church is the body. An- 
other affirms that baptism is the door of admis- 
sion to the Church; a third regards it as a seal 
to a covenant; a fourth maintains that it is an 
outward sign of an inward grace ; a fifth teaches 
that it is a condition of forgiveness, while a dozen 
rise up at once to contend with intense religious 
earnestness that this, that, or the other particu- 
lar mode of baptism is the only Scriptural and 
proper one to adopt. I do not say that all these 
are wrong, or that all questions of mode are un- 
important; but it does seem amazing that the 
shadow should seem to be accounted as every- 
thing, and the substance as almost nothing. 
Even those who look a little deeper, and grasp 
the idea of a rich spiritual grace imparted by the 
Holy Spirit to the believer, often seem strangely 
prone to limit the extent of the work, and speak 
of a baptism of power, or of purity, or of love, or 
of some other gift or grace, in language which, 



The Mighty Baptism 53 

however well understood by some, is apt to mis- 
lead immature disciples by giving them narrow 
views of that which is as broad as the utmost 
limits of the soul's wants. To add to the miscon- 
ceptions under which many labor, the term bap- 
tism is often used figuratively, and sometimes in 
very absurd connections; as, for instance, when 
the wretched Louis Napoleon, on the eve of his 
fall, spoke of his hapless son's presence on a 
battle-field, as his "first baptism of fire." In like 
manner we often hear of baptisms of sorrow, or 
of affliction, or of any other phase of ill-fortune, 
and while it is very true that the use of these 
metaphors is harmless enough, yet the loose ap- 
plication of such terms very naturally adds to the 
misunderstanding of the original term which has 
so long and so generally prevailed. 

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is that Divine 
act by which the bond which is to unite the dis- 
ciple to his Master becomes real. It is not 
merely an initiation into a visible organization, or 
into an ideal relationship, but an actual and vital 
union between the Master and the disciple. 
When Jesus said, "I am the vine, ye are the 
branches," he did more than give expression to a 
mere metaphor. He uttered an amazing truth, 
a truth on which depends all that is vital, and all 
that is divine in the Church of Christ to-day and 



54 The Church of Pentecost 

for evermore. The disciple when first called to 
become a follower of Christ, is serving self, is fol- 
lowing his own way, and seeking his own ends. 
He is required to deny himself; that is, to repudi- 
ate himself, to consent to give up his very name 
and assume that of the Master. He is next re- 
quired to take up his cross, to make the cross of 
the Master his own, and to reckon himself as one 
who has died in the person of him whose name he 
bears. When he thus yields himself up, when he 
sees himself in the person of his Savior on the 
cross, the Spirit descends upon him, the death of 
the Substitute upon the cross which he has by an 
act of faith made his own becomes in a very 
blessed sense his own indeed, while in a moment 
new life enters his soul, new light shines into his 
heart, and a new realm expands before his glad- 
dened vision. He is a new creature. A new 
world glows around him; a new impulse throbs 
within him. This mighty change dates from his 
intelligent perception of his relation to the dying 
Messiah. Hence we read, "Know ye not that as 
many of you as were baptized into Jesus Christ 
were baptized into his death? Therefore we are 
buried with him by baptism into death, that like 
as Christ was raised up from the dead by the 
glory of the Father, even so we also should walk 
in newness of life." The disciple who receives 



The Mighty Baptism 55 

the baptism of the Spirit experiences a double 
change; he dies, and is made alive again. As a 
condemned sinner he no longer lives. His con- 
demnation is taken away, and at the same mo- 
ment a new character, corresponding to his new 
name and new relation to God, is given to him. 
Hence we read, "If any man be in Christ he is a 
new creation." (R. V.) Union with Christ im- 
plies a change both of relation and of character. 
We are conformed to the moral image of him 
whose name we bear, and this conformity be- 
comes so real that we are said to be robed in his 
very person. "For as many of you as have been 
baptized into Christ have put on Christ." It fol- 
lows, also, from the very nature of the case, that 
the great body of believers, wherever scattered 
throughout the world, must bear, in all its essen- 
tial features, the same character, and be united 
by a divine tie into one great brotherhood. "For 
by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body, 
whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be 
bond or free." 

The substitutional death and actual resurrec- 
tion of Jesus Christ thus become demonstrated 
facts, facts which are illustrated and demon- 
strated in the lives of living men and women as 
no other facts in history have been or can be. 
The subject of the atonement is, and in the na- 



56 The Church of Pentecost 

ture of the case must ever be, more or less 
shrouded in mystery. It includes factors which 
transcend the grasp of the human mind, and 
when any theologian assumes that he has fully 
mastered the subject, that he has fathomed a 
fathomless sea, no better evidence is needed to 
show that he does not quite understand Avhat he 
is saying. But it is otherwise with demonstrated 
facts. If Christ represented a race of sinners on 
the cross, if he died in the name of each and all, 
if he rose from the dead in the name of each and 
all, and if a new life is offered to every one who 
apprehends these facts, and by a free choice ac- 
cepts what has been thus won for him, then we 
should expect to see some amazing transforma- 
tions in this gross, material age, which confirm 
and illustrate the facts. We are entitled to ex- 
pect the appearance among* us of startling moral 
miracles. Wicked, gross, selfish, and sensual 
men will be seen to undergo a transformation as 
complete as if they had suddenly died, and the 
next moment reappeared with a new character, 
as in fact new men, each possessing, in outline at 
least, the '"mind," or character, which our Savior 
possessed when here on earth. In other words, 
we are entitled to expect the reappearance of the 
Christ-life on earth — Christ living in the person 
of his disciples, and the works of Christ being re- 



The Mighty Baptism 57 

peated by those who inherit the promise that 
.they shall do greater things than would be ac- 
complished by the repetition of the old-time mir- 
acles. The baptism of Pentecost meant all this 
to the hundred and twenty, and the same baptism 
should be expected to produce the same effect 
in this and every other age. 

If it be said that moral transformations of this 
kind, even though very striking in some cases, 
are often very defective in outline, and feeble in 
manifestation, it is sufficient to reply that the 
reality of a manifestation does not depend upon 
its absolute perfection. A rainbow on an even- 
ing cloud may be very dim, but so long as its 
seven colors are present and blended in their 
proper order, it is a rainbow, and is recognized 
as such. With a wider and darker background 
of cloud, and with a full orbed sun shining in the 
west, the dim and dwarfed picture in the east ex- 
pands into a magnificent spectacle of beauty, 
but it is still only a rainbow. So also with the 
disciple of Christ. He may be at best a man of 
somewhat feeble character; his faith may not be 
strong or very intelligent ; his purpose to follow 
his Master may not as yet be firmly grounded, 
and as a necessary consequence his spiritual life 
may not be attended by a clear manifestation 
whicli at once arrests the attention of observers ; 



58 The Church of Pentecost 

and yet the elements of the Christ-life may all 
be there. In the spiritual realm, as in the natu- 
ral, there is a law of growth, and this growth very 
often starts from very small beginnings. An in- 
variable condition of this growth is a definite 
faith, based upon a clear apprehension of the be- 
liever's relation to Christ as his Savior, and made 
possible by an unreserved submission to God. 
This faith will be found to vary in different indi- 
viduals, according to the measure of enlighten- 
ment possessed by each, and hence the change 
which takes place at the outset is much more dis- 
tinctly marked in some cases than in others, and 
the subsequent development of the new character 
will be correspondingly rapid or slow. 

It should never be forgotten that *the con- 
dition, "according to your faith," is one which 
applies to the whole wide realm of the believer's 
being. It is often supposed that when our Savior 
used these words he referred only to the possi- 
bility of working miracles, or to extraordinary 
emergencies in the believer's life; but this is by 
no means the case. In every special contingency, 
as well as in its application to the general course 
of life, the law of faith works uniformly. "Ac- 
cording to your faith" is the condition on which 
depends the measure of light, or love, or peace, 
or joy, or power, which each disciple is entitled 



The Mighty Baptism 59 

to expect. The manifestation of the Christ-life 
forms no exception to this general rule. The 
measure of the manifestation depends upon the 
measure of the believer's faith. The setting sun 
glows in all his splendor in the western sky ; but 
a full-arched rainbow on the eastern clouds de- 
pends on conditions which may or may not be 
present. An obscuring mist, a rift in the cloud, 
a diminishing rainfall, or other defects, may lessen 
the beauty and perfection of the bow; but the 
sun is there in his strength, and the bow is there 
in reality, and with exactly the measure of per- 
fectness which the conditions make possible. In 
like manner a feeble believer may be a partaker 
of the Christ-life, may actually know the love of 
Christ, and may have tasted in his measure the 
powers of the world to come, and yet the con- 
ditions of his imperfect discipleship are such that 
persons who themselves know little or nothing of 
spiritual things are easily led to doubt the pres- 
ence of any divine element in his heart. Man is 
ever ready to doubt his fellow-man ; but happily 
there is one who does not break the bruised reed 
or quench the smoking flax. 

A good man can readily detect goodness in 
others; but a bad man, or one who is thoroughly 
worldly, and who is accustomed to estimate char- 
acter by worldly standards, will be very prone to 



60 The Church of Pentecost 

depreciate what is good, especially in a spirit- 
ually-minded Christian. The disciple is not 
above his Master, and when we remember that 
most of the cultivated classes in our Savior's day 
were unable to see any goodness in his character, 
we need not wonder that so many in our own 
time can not be persuaded that there are living 
men and women around us who bear the moral 
image of Jesus Christ. The world's ideal of what 
Christ was when among men on earth is as far 
removed from the real life of Jesus in Galilee, as 
is its ideal of what a follower of Jesus ought to be 
in these closing days of the nineteenth century 
in England or America. It will not do to con- 
cede too much to those who profess to look in 
vain for living representations of Jesus Christ. 
Some of these disappointed searchers after truth 
may be good and true men ; but in most cases it 
will be found that the difficulty lies in the char- 
acter of those who search, and not in that of 
those whose claim to diseipleship is challenged. 
The spiritual attracts the spiritual, and the ma- 
terial the material. The Christ-like will discover 
the outlines of the mind of Christ in hearts and 
lives in whidh the -worldly will fail to find any 
trace of such a spirit. 

But while conceding that the vast majority of 
modern Christians exhibit the mind of Christ in 



The Mighty Baptism 61 

very imperfect measure, it must not for a moment 
be supposed that there are no men and women in 
our day who fairly represent what the Christ-life 
really is, and how it is illustrated in every-day 
life. The risen Savior of sinners has not left him- 
self without faithful and worthy witnesses on 
earth. We may find them all over the Christian 
world, and if not always appreciated at their full 
value, it is because they belong to the number of 
those of whom the world is not worthy. They 
are without guile, and live as pilgrims and stran- 
gers on earth while journeying to a better coun- 
try. They live for their fellow-men. They count 
neither ease nor life as dear to them, if only they 
can do the will of the Heavenly Father, and finish 
the work which he gives them to do. They are 
gentle and tender in their affections, and yet 
strong and brave in every righteous cause. They 
love their fellow-men, befriend the friendless, 
seek the erring, receive the outcast, go freely 
among publicans and sinners, and so live and 
labor that the life of each is one long benediction 
to the Church and the world. 

It is more than probable that many of those 
who read these lines will feel a certain kind of dis- 
appointment that more prominence is not given 
to the Pentecostal blessings which they sincerely 
crave, and which they have learned to associate 



62 The Church of Pentecost 

with every thought of the baptism of the Holy 
Spirit. The proneness of the poor, frail human 
heart to look away from God is in nothing more 
strikingly illustrated than in the unconscious de- 
sire so often felt to care more for "blessings" than 
the Blesser. The gift of power is sought by 
many as if it would in itself compensate for all 
losses and supply all needs. Others read of the 
rich bestowment of spiritual gifts at Pentecost, 
and earnestly covet the best of these gifts, be they 
what they may. Others, again, aspire to a hal- 
lowed experience, to a perfected holiness, to a 
fullness of joy, or an abiding peace, or, in short, 
to a full measure of the Christian graces. But 
whether it be a rich measure of gifts, or a full 
measure of grace, all seem prone to forget that 
Christ, the living, loving, present Christ, is worth 
more than all possible gifts, and is inseparable 
from the lowest measure of possible grace. To 
be united to him, and to abide in him, should be 
the highest aim and fondest desire of every be- 
lieving heart, and it is only by this abiding union 
with him that we can hope either to attain or 
retain the gifts and' grace of the Pentecostal 
morning. 

The baptism of Jesus by John had a depth of 
meaning which has been too much overlooked. 
Jesus could not have been baptized "unto repent- 



The Mighty Baptism .63 

ance." The sinless can not repent. His baptism, 
like his mission and death, was unique. It was in 
a hallowed sense his Pentecost. At the close of 
the ceremony he looked up and saw heaven open 
above him, and the Spirit descending in the form 
of a dove to abide upon him. John also saw the 
same descent of the Heavenly Dove, and bore 
witness to the event. The Master, like the dis- 
ciples, was baptized with the Holy Spirit, and 
immediately entered upon his great mission, first 
by vanquishing the powers of hell in his long 
struggle in the desert, and next by going forth to 
proclaim his message to men. As we are bap- 
tized into Christ, and united to him, and made to 
represent him among men, so our blessed Master 
was baptized into our humanity, inducted into his 
office as the representative of the race, clothed 
with power, and with all other needed divine gifts 
for the amazing mission which he was to execute 
among men. By our Pentecost we become 
united to Christ, become sons of God, and heirs 
to all which our Elder Brother has won in our 
name. By our Savior Christ's Pentecost he be- 
came heir to the title, the Son of man, and by this 
title he usually spoke of himself after his baptism. 
We thus see that as joint heirs with Jesus 
Christ we may claim in our measure the same 
Spirit which came upon our Master at Jordan. 



64 The Ghurch of Pentecost 

Such a baptism of the Holy Spirit transcends all 
gifts, and more than supplies all grace. It puts 
mortal man in touch with heaven ; it brings him 
into immediate relationship with the Son of God ; 
it robes him with the power which his Master 
possessed, and provides for the full supply of 
every want of his soul. He gains free access to a 
storehouse filled with treasures, equal both in 
measure and variety to all the demands of the 
human race. Surely it ought to be enough for 
the disciple to be as his Master, and for the serv- 
ant to be as his Lord. The measure of power 
and blessing which sufficed for Jesus at Jordan, 
was abundantly sufficient for the hundred and 
twenty at Pentecost, and will meet all our wants 
in these closing days of our eventful century. 



V 
FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT 

In the preceding chapter attention has been 
called to the fact that the measure in which the 
Spirit is imparted to believers when they first 
receive Christ, is in exact proportion to the com- 
pleteness of the submission and faith of the indi- 
vidual, and this, under the ordinary conditions 
which prevail in the world, may be expected to 
vary widely. If it w r as otherwise in the case of 
the disciples at Pentecost, it must be remembered 
that t'hey were exceptional persons. Their in- 
struction had extended over a term of several 
years, and their preparation for this eventful hour 
had been remarkable in every respect. They 
were all "filled" with the Holy Spirit. This 
homely phrase is very expressive and very accu- 
rate. The little twig is filled with the vital ele- 
ments which flow to it from the vine. The mys- 
terious something which we call life, the equally 
mysterious something which we call nature, that 
which determines the quality of the fruit and leaf, 
and the nourishment which provides for growth, 
all these are present in normal activity up to the 
5 65 



66 The Church of Pentecost 

full measure of the twig's capacity to receive 
them. The normal union of the believer with his 
Savior Christ is one which implies a similar full- 
ness. It is permanent, and not fitful. It illus- 
trates our Savior's teaching on the possibility 
and blessedness of abiding in him. The believer 
who is filled with the Spirit is made to partake of 
the gifts and graces which belong to his Master, 
and in his measure may be expected to illustrate 
these in >his life. He may fall very far below his 
Master in the degree in which he exhibits this 
endowment; but in his measure — that is, up to 
the measure of his mental and spiritual capacity 
— his life will be a reproduction, rather than an 
imitation, of the Divine Life which was once 
lived among the hills of Galilee. 

We should not overlook the fact that there is 
a normal fullness of the Spirit such as every 
Christian should aim to realize in daily life, and 
an abnormal, or special, gift for special purposes 
and on special occasion's. For instance, when 
Peter and John returned to the Christian assem- 
bly after their first arrest, and reported the threat - 
enings of the rulers, the w T hole company joined in 
exultant song and prayer, and "were all filled 
with the Holy Ghost." Of Stephen it was said 
at the time of 'his appointment as deacon that he 
was "a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost/' 



Filled with the Spirit 67 

and yet when confronting his enemies just before 
his death he was in a special sense filled with the 
Spirit. A similar manifestation was given to 
Paul when about to pronounce sentence upon 
Elymas, and the early Christians seem to have 
been quite familiar with experiences of this kind. 
On the other hand, it is equally clear that the 
normal fullness of the Spirit was not a spasmodic 
or intermittent manifestation, partaking more or 
less of a miraculous character, but ■ an abiding 
grace, the privilege of all believers, and the nor- 
mal standard of personal holiness to which all be- 
lievers were urged to attain. They were exhorted 
and commanded to "walk in the Spirit," and to 
be "filled with the Spirit." The Christian life was 
spoken of as living "in the Spirit," and good men 
like Barnabas and Stephen were widely known 
as men filled with the Holy Spirit. This was 
evidently the normal standard of Christian dis- 
cipleship in the Church of Pentecost, and no 
teacher during the early days of Christianity ever 
dreamed of setting up a lower standard. No 
doubt newly-received converts could have been 
pointed out who for a brief season maintained the 
character of expectant believers without having 
received the baptism of the Spirit. This seems 
to have been the position of the three thousand 
on the evening of Pentecost. They had gladly 



68 The Church of Pentecost 

received the word of promise, and had believed ; 
but we find no mention of the descent of the 
Spirit upon any of them. The record, however, 
shows that they speedily took their place in the 
infant Church in perfect unity with the body of 
united believers, and we can not doubt that the 
Holy Spirit had in the meantime done for them, 
and in them, the same amazing work which had 
been wrought in the case of the hundred and 
twenty. 

It is important that we should clearly distin- 
guish between the normal and the special anoint- 
ing of the Spirit. Very often Christians, espe- 
cially young converts, are perplexed and confused 
by exhortations to pray for the Holy Spirit, and 
to seek what is too often vaguely called the bap- 
tism of the Holy Ghost. On the one hand some 
who have received the indwelling Spirit are led to 
doubt, if not often deny, the presence of this Di- 
vine gift; while on the other hand, others too 
readily assume that, having received the Spirit 
once for all, and having known him as the abid- 
ing Paraclete, it is needless, if not indeed im- 
proper, to ask again for a gift already received. 
The mistake here is found in not distinguishing 
between the mere presence of the Spirit and the 
special work which he is pledged to perform. He 
dwells in the believer's heart, illuminating, regen- 



Filled with the Spirit 69 

erating, purifying, and witnessing ; but when spe- 
cial help is needed, when some special task is to 
be performed, or some special trial endured, a 
special anointing of the Spirit may be needed, 
and his special aid may be invoked by faith and 
prayer. In seeking such help the supplicant 
should not fail to recognize the presence of the 
Holy One, as well as the gracious work which he 
is daily and hourly performing in the heart; but 
while praising God for this abiding gift, a special 
manifestation may be sought, and, indeed, at 
times must be sought, in order to prepare for the 
emergencies which often arise in Christian 
sendee. 

The sameness of, and yet the distinction be- 
tween, the normal and special manifestation of 
the Spirit has been strikingly illustrated by refer- 
ence to a familiar experiment. The human body 
when in a state of health is charged in normal 
measure with what we popularly call the electric 
fluid. A person in a normal state of health and 
under normal conditions may be said to be filled 
with this mysterious fluid or energy ; that is, the 
full demand of the physical being is supplied up 
to the measure of its capacity. If now the person 
is insulated — that is, seated in a chair which stands 
in four glass tumblers — and if after lifting his feet 
from the floor he grasps the two handles of a 



yo The Church of Pentecost 

small electric battery, an invisible electric current 
will begin to flow into his body, although he him- 
self may not be conscious of any dhange taking 
place. His body was rilled in a normal measure 
before, but now it is so surcharged with the in- 
visible power that when any one holds out a hand 
near to him, brilliant sparks like tiny flashes of 
lightning are emitted from his person. It is thus 
with the living Fire, the "Spirit of burning," 
which God sends upon believers. The conse- 
crated and trusting disciple may receive the Spirit 
in full measure for the ordinary and normal 
duties of life, but emergencies are sure to arise 
from time to time in the life of every believer and 
of every Church, when a special anointing of 
power is needed — times when an exceeding 
"weight of glory," or a wonderful anointing of 
power, may descend upon the disciple or the 
Church, giving strength for duty or trial or, if 
need be, for suffering. 

Many illustrations of this somewhat familiar 
fact will possibly occur to the mind of the reader. 
A preacher goes into his pulpit, perhaps care- 
worn in mind and heavy in heart. He lifts his 
heart to God in believing prayer, but enters upon 
his duties without receiving any special help. He 
is enjoying conscious communion with the Spirit 
of God, has no sense of condemnation, and yet 



Filled with the Spirit 71 

finds his task a heavy one. He may be in the 
midst of his opening prayer, or it may be when 
he has entered upon the exposition of the portion 
of Scripture whidh he has chosen for the service ; 
when suddenly the power of the Spirit descends 
upon him. His heart seems to expand and glow 
with new love and new confidence, while a 
tongue of fire seems to be given him with which 
to proclaim with new power the message which 
God puts upon his lips, or to the petitions which 
the Spirit helps him to send up to the mercy-seat. 
To give another illustration, I may cite the case 
of a disciple who on repeated occasions when en- 
tirely alone received very unusual manifestations 
of the Spirit's presence and power. These were 
unsought and unexpected, and the full meaning 
of the visitation was not understood beyond an 
impression which always accompanied the mani- 
festation that a very sore trial was near at hand, > 
and that Christ in tender love and compassion 
was strengthening his disciple to assume a heavy 
burden and endure a grievous trial. In due time 
the trial came, but the disciple was found prepared 
for the blow, and enabled to test and prove anew 
the sufficiency of Divine grace. The modern re- 
vival, at least in its best phases, is a familiar illus- 
tration of this special outpouring of the Spirit. 
Sometimes a scene may be witnessed which re- 



J2 The Church of Pentecost 

minds us of the original Pentecost. Believers are 
filled with holy joy, or it may be with holy awe, 
while unbelievers are pricked to the heart and 
filled with intense concern for their personal sal- 
vation. It is in such signs that we find the re- 
deeming element in the modern revival, and if 
artificial methods and superficial impressions 
could be exchanged for a simple and devout trust 
in the omnipotent power of the Holy Spirit, a 
new era — a revival of the Scriptural revival — 
might soon dawn upon us, and perhaps at no 
distant day transform the universal Church of 
Christ. 

It is very probable that the reader, or at least 
some readers, will be ready to ask what place is 
to be assigned to that large class, the immense 
majority of Christian believers, whose spiritual 
life is manifestly and confessedly very far below 
the normal standard as stated above. Are they, 
too, "in Christ?" Are they united to him by 
a living bond? And have they been baptized 
into him by the direct agency of the Holy 
Spirit? 

Beyond all doubt, every believer who has re- 
ceived the witness of the Spirit to his adoption as 
a child of God is united to Christ, and draws 
whatever measure of spiritual life he enjoys from 
the True Vine. The fact that the life of the mod- 



Pilled with the Spirit 73 

ern Church seems feeble in comparison with that 
of Pentecost, only illustrates the startling fact 
that the average Christian of the present day does 
not understand the richness of his inheritance in 
Christ Jesus; but it by no means illustrates the 
permanent condition on which spiritual life is 
given, and by which it is maintained. The 
Church of Pentecost differed from a modern 
Church in the fact that the prevailing type of 
faith, devotion, and spiritual life was "full.;" that 
is, normal, while in our day the prevailing type 
is imperfect and the normal Christian life excep- 
tional; but the imperfect measure of life in the 
heart of feeble believers must not be despised, 
much less denied. It is implanted in the heart 
by God himself, and is precious in the sight of 
Him who never breaks a bruised reed nor 
quenches the smoking flax. 

To refer again to the beautiful and very ex- 
pressive figure of the union of the branches to 
the vine, a very striking illustration of the man- 
ner in which a believer with defective knowledge 
and feeble faith can yet be united to Christ, is 
found in the familiar practice of grafting. The 
workman takes a small twig which has been sent 
to him from a distance, and finds that its buds are 
shrunken, its bark withered, and its vitality so 
nearly destroyed that it is only when he cuts 



74 The Church of Pentecost 

beneath the bark that any trace of life or the 
possibility of life can be discovered. He does not 
despair for the twig, however ; for he has faith in 
the operation of the laws and vital forces of na- 
ture. An incision is made in the branch of a liv- 
ing tree, the twig is inserted and carefully pro- 
tected with grafting-wax, and at once the law of 
life begins to assert itself. In a few days the little 
twig begins to show signs of change, the buds 
begin to swell, the shrunken bark slowly ex- 
pands, and often at the end of two or three weeks 
the green leaves begin to adorn the little twig 
which so recently seemed almost destitute of life. 
I have myself seen such twigs burst into bloom 
in less than four weeks from the time that the law 
of life began to assert itself by virtue of their 
union with the living tree. 

What death is to the twig, sin is to the soul. 
The withered and shrunken appearance of the 
little twig was simply the evidence of death, 
partly operative and in full measure impending. 
When we speak of sin in the heart the real mean- 
ing of the expression is that the law of spiritual 
death is in greater or less measure operative. 
The outward act of sin is a symptom of the 
startling fact that spiritual death has already be- 
come an active principle in the soul ; but as the 
simple law of life in the living tree when oper- 



Filled with the Spirit 75 

ative utterly expels the active law of death in the 
little twig and fills it with life, so the Spirit of 
God, by taking full possession of the believing 
heart, expels the evil principle to which we may 
apply the terms sin and death interchangeably, 
and the whole moral being becomes subject to 
the law of life. In other words, to express the 
same thought in Scriptural language, the law of 
the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus makes us free 
from the law of sin and death. 

Inseparable from this fullness of life both the 
graces and the gifts which adorn and enrich the 
Christian character are found in full or normal 
measure. The believer who is a partaker of the 
life of Christ is abundantly endowed with the 
fruits of the Spirit, such as faith, hope, love, 
peace, joy, gentleness, meekness, goodness, long- 
suffering, kindness, mercifulness, etc., and is also 
clothed with special gifts to qualify him for ef- 
fective service in the Master's vineyard. These 
manifestations of the Spirit will be discussed in 
later chapters, and for the present it may suffice 
to remark that while all believers are made par- 
takers of these according to the measure of faith 
of each individual, yet the normal standard in the 
case of every believer is that of fullness. 

The fullness of blessing, or that state of grace 
which was known in the Church of Pentecost as 



y6 The Church of Pentecost 

being filled with the Holy Spirit, has been recog- 
nized in some form by earnest Christians in every 
age, except during periods of almost universal 
spiritual decline and darkness. In speaking of 
this phase of personal experience many terms 
have been employed, some of them Scriptural, 
and some otherwise. Many volumes have been 
written and many theories formed ; but it has sel- 
dom happened that the unanimity of thought and 
feeling which was so conspicuous in the Church 
of Pentecost, has been illustrated in the teachings 
of those who have been leaders in movements 
connected with this most important subject. On 
the contrary, it has too often happened that good 
men have differed on questions of secondary im- 
portance, while controversy has usurped the 
place of teaching, and the impression has thus 
been widely made that the general subject is one 
which can not be discussed without peril to the 
Church. But is this, can this be, a correct view 
to take of such a subject? 

Among the many terms employed to describe 
this fullness of blessing, we find such as the fol- 
lowing: "Perfect Love," "Pure Love," "Chris- 
tian Perfection," "Full Salvation," the "Rest of 
Faith," the "Higher Christian Life," the "Bless- 
ing of Holiness," "Perfect Holiness," "Entire 
Sanctification," "Full Assurance," and other like 



Filled with the Spirit yy 

phrases. Concerning all of these phrases it may- 
be remarked that while some of them are Scrip- 
tural, all were unknown in the Church of Pente- 
cost. The best Christian experience of which we 
have any record had been taught, received, and 
illustrated in life, before any of these terms came 
into use. May it not be possible — is it not in- 
deed probable — that the safest and surest way to 
realize again the life and power of the Church of 
Pentecost, would be to return to the simple con- 
ditions, and adopt the simple standards, which 
were recognized at the beginning? 

It may be well to state explicitly that modern 
terms are not necessarily bad in themselves ; nor 
is it needful to discuss any of the phrases given 
above. It must also be conceded that modern, 
teaching, based upon such terms as those referred 
to, often leads to very satisfactory results. For 
instance, the duty and privilege of leading a holy 
life, the possibility of having one's heart cleansed 
from all taint of sin, the obligation to live a life of 
complete consecration to God — these and kin- 
dred obligations or privileges may be, and often 
are, so presented to the mind of a believer as to 
lead to compliance with all the conditions neces- 
sary to the realization of such an experience as 
was the rule in the Church of Pentecost. God in 
his infinite tenderness is ever willing to bless any 



78 The Church of Pentecost 

and every means which may be employed by sin- 
cere believers who are seeking a proper end, and 
hence it is well known that very imperfect teach- 
ing often is so blessed of God as to bring forth 
fruit to perfection. - This and much more may 
be conceded, and yet the fact remains that while 
one or more ways may be good in themselves, 
there may still remain a more excellent way, in 
the following of which better results are attained 
and various dangers avoided. If we seek for 
good fruit, the best course to pursue is to seek 
for the tree which bears the fruit. It is very true 
that in seeking for the fruit we may find the tree ; 
but the procedure is not the natural one. In 
seeking for holiness of heart an earnest believer 
may find the fullness of the Holy Spirit, but as 
a matter of fact it too often happens that a lim- 
ited view of this kind leads to limited views of 
the possibilities of grace. On the other hand, if 
a believer seeks for the fullness of the Holy Spirit, 
and receives the full measure of blessing which 
he craves, he must in the nature of the case re- 
ceive with it all the graces which the Spirit of 
God implants in a wholly-consecrated heart. 
The heart which is filled with the Spirit of God 
must be holy in the Scriptural sense of that word, 
and must be rilled with love, peace, joy, and every 
other grace which belongs to the Christian char- 



Filled with the Spirit 79 

acter, up to the normal measure which such a 
heart is able to attain. 

If we look around us in the Christian world 
we may find a group of earnest Christians bow- 
ing before God in believing prayer, and entreat- 
ing that they may be made partakers of the rest 
of soul Which Jesus promised to all the weary and 
heavy-laden who should come to him. Their 
ideal is that of perfect rest, a rest 

" Where fear and sin and grief expire, 
Cast out by perfect love." 

Turning in another direction, we find another 
group seeking just as earnestly for what they 
term heart purity. They remember the beati- 
tude, "Blessed are the pure in heart.' , They be- 
lieve that such a blessing could never have been 
pronounced on an impossible attainment, and 
they are seeking earnestly for the blessing of 
purity. Another group attracts our attention, 
and here we find an earnest longing for spiritual 
power. The promise of the Father given to the 
disciples of old is impressed deeply on their 
hearts, and feeling a sense of personal responsi- 
bility they long to be clothed with the power of 
the Holy Spirit. The next group is composed 
of those who feel deeply the necessity of absolute 
and unreserved consecration to God. They are 



80 The Church of Pentecost 

searching their hearts as they bow before the 
mercy-seat, to see if there is anything of earthly 
good which they have not yielded up as an offer- 
ing to be laid upon God's altar. We might go 
on and find a dozen other groups, all composed 
of good and earnest people, and all seeking ob- 
jects which are good in themselves; and yet, as 
a painful matter of fact, in the large majority of 
these cases it will be found that) the results of 
these earnest pleadings are not wholly satis- 
factory. 

I hesitate before venturing to write a single 
word which might seem to be penned in a critical 
spirit, or .which might possibly be interpreted as 
unfriendly to meetings of this character. I have 
joined in many such myself, and have been 
greatly 'helped in doing so, and yet as the years 
go by it is more and more impressed upon my 
heart and mind that all such seekers could find 
a more excellent way by simply adopting the 
method set before us in the beginning. In the 
Church of Pentecost all such objects as those 
enumerated above were realized. In the Church 
of the present day the same conditions remain 
as at the beginning, and the men and women who 
are filled with the Spirit, as were the great body 
of believers in the Church of Pentecost, will live 
in the daily realization of all those blessings 



Filled with the Spirit 81 

which are often sought as if they must be re- 
ceived one by one, after earnest and often painful 
periods of anxious inquiry. 

During recent years it has become extremely 
common in some circles to apply tihe term Pente- 
costal to all meetings which are held for the pro- 
motion of the higher phases of the Christian life. 
It is seldom profitable to spend time in discussing 
names, and yet it often seems as if this term was 
used without the full understanding of its mean- 
ing. In the Church of Pentecost the consecra- 
tion of believers was unqualified, and those who 
were filled with the Spirit were also men and 
women anointed with power, and prepared for 
immediate and active service. In the Church of 
the present day, on the other hand, strange 
anomalies constantly present themselves. We 
may often see men and women who seem per- 
suaded that they have received the Pentecostal 
blessing, and yet who apparently have no idea 
that any service is required of them other than 
that of ordinary Christians. They would be 
startled beyond expression if required to sell all 
that they possessed, and give it to their Master. 
They are devout, and in some directions earnest 
as believers; but when measured by the standard 
of the Church of Pentecost they quickly appear 
as the merest dwarfs, instead of men and women 
6 



82 The Church of Pentecost 

who have reached the adult age of Christian 
discipleship. Is not this unfortunate mistake, in 
some cases at least, chiefly, owing to the fact that 
a single phase of experience had been set before 
such persons as the object of desire, instead of 
the fullness of blessing which comes to those who 
are filled with the Holy Spirit? 

If we study carefully the very brief history of 
the Church of Pentecost as we find it in the New 
Testament, only two conditions appear as neces- 
sary to attaining the standard of piety which was 
realized by the hundred and twenty when they 
were filled with the Holy Spirit. The same gift 
was promised by Peter in his memorable sermon 
to all who would obey Jesus Christ and receive 
him as a personal Savior. Absolute and unquali- 
fied obedience, together with absolute and un- 
qualified trust in Christ as a present, living, and 
omnipotent Savior, will bring the fullness of the 
Holy Spirit to every believer who really craves 
such fullness, and a daily and hourly compliance 
with these conditions will maintain the life which 
is thus imparted. Nothing more is needed to 
make the Church of Jesus Christ throughout tihe 
world the worthy offspring of the Church of Pen- 
tecost, than universal obedience and trust on the 
part of every believer. The conditions are few, 
simple, and in no sense whatever impossible. 



VI 
POWER FROM ON HIGH 

But tarry ye in the city, until ye be clothed with power from 
on high. — Luke xxiv. 49. [R. V.] 

But ye shall receive power, when the Holy Ghost is come upon 
you.— Acts i. 8. [R. V.] 

Devout workers in the Lord's vineyard have 
always been deeply interested in the subject of 
spiritual power, which formed the basis of some 
of our Savior's most remarkable promises, and 
which afterward became so conspicuous an ele- 
ment in the manifestation at Pentecost. Very 
many hearts are stirred with intense longings for 
a full measure of this power, which seems to be 
assured alike to all believers in a measure suffi- 
cient to make all things possible to the most 
lowly disciple. Sometimes such a desire may be 
stimulated by an unconscious ambition to 
achieve success, but much more frequently it 
springs up unbidden in the meek and lowly heart, 
and is cherished with no other motive than that 
of doing the Master's will and glorifying his 
name. The extraordinary manifestation of 
power which attended the sermon of Peter at 
Pentecost has very naturally led many to associ- 

83 



84 The Church of Pentecost 

ate the exercise of this power almost exclusively 
with public preaching ; but this is to place narrow 
limits upon the promises which cover the whole 
sphere of the Christian life. The power with 
which Jesus promises to clothe his disciples was 
none other than that of the Holy Spirit, and it 
was not only to be shared by every believer in 
every age, but also in full measure. As it was not 
to be the privilege of a chosen few, but of all be- 
lievers, so it was not to be given in a few extraor- 
dinary emergencies, but in each and every detail 
of Christian duty all along the pathway of life. 
It is a mistake to assume, as is very often 
done, that this power from on high is merely one 
of the gifts of the Spirit, and that as such it may 
be given in greater or less measure, or not given 
at all, as God may see fit in the case of each dis- 
ciple. Such a view would be correct enough in 
reference to the gift of prophecy or the pastoral 
gift; but spiritual power is not restricted to a 
special bestowment for a special purpose. On 
the other hand, it is a common grace offered and 
freely given to every individual. It is that which 
makes all spiritual gifts effectual. It accom- 
panies the exercise of each and every gift, and is, 
in short, the Divine element in the service which 
the Christian disciple renders to the Father of 
all. Instead of being a precious gift of a more 



Power from on High 85 

or less miraculous character, coming in excep- 
tional cases and at rare intervals upon a few fa- 
vored persons, it is a common heritage of the 
whole household of believers, and is intended to 
make the Christian's life and his service a Divine 
service. 

In another chapter it has been shown how the 
baptism of the Spirit unites us to Christ,' as the 
branch to the vine, and how we thus become par- 
takers of the Divine nature, and are enabled in 
our measure to live the Christ-life here on earth. 
This union is real and not ideal only, and brings 
the believer into vital union with his risen Master. 
He thus becomes a partaker of the love of Christ, 
of the peace, joy, meekness, gentleness, and every 
other grace which dwells in the Vine, and it fol- 
lows necessarily that he becomes partaker of his 
Master's power. He does not wield the same in- 
finite measure of power, but that which he shares 
in common with his Master is Divine, and comes 
to Master and servant alike through the same 
agency of the Holy Spirit. This gift of power is 
held in absolute submission to the Divine will. 
It is exercised in daily life as unconsciously, for 
the most part, as the physical power which the 
individual possesses ; but in cases of special emer- 
gency or special responsibility, its exercise be- 
comes subject to special faith and prayer. Our 



86 The Church of Pentecost 

Savior had created the world, but was born 
among men with self-limited physical power and 
self-limited knowledge. He became weary and 
hungry as we all do, and expressly affirmed that 
his knowledge of God's purposes was limited. If 
the Master refrained from the highest possibili- 
ties of this position, and if he voluntarily placed 
himself for a season in a sphere outside of certain 
Divine prerogatives, much more must the dis- 
ciple accept his humble mission in the same 
spirit, and use his spiritual power, not to glorify 
himself, or to excite wonder, or to accomplish 
"great things," but rather to do the Father's will, 
and thus walk in the Master's footsteps. 

The errors into which even the best of Chris- 
tians fall in considering the suoject of spiritual 
power are manifold. Of these, perhaps the most 
common, as well as the most paralyzing to spirit- 
ual strength, is that which assumes that the 
power which is sought is something which will 
become inherent in the believer. Without quite 
realizing what he is trying to do, the earnest and 
struggling disciple tries, like wrestling Jacob of 
old, to become the possessor of a power which 
will dwell in his own person, and be subject to his 
will, like that which dwells in his right arm. He 
forgets that the power which he longs to wield in 
his Master's service is found in Christ, and that 



Power from on High 87 

he can only make it his own by personally abid- 
ing in Him to whom all power belongs, and in 
whom all fullness dwells. "Apart from me ye 
can do nothing." (R. V.) 

For unknown ages the wild Indians roamed 
through the forests which surrounded the mighty 
Niagara, and no doubt they often gazed with 
wonder and awe upon the mad leap of the great 
river as it took its headlong plunge over the 
precipice, and rushed with resistless might 
through the deep gorge below; but never in a 
single instance could it have occurred to any one 
of these children of the forest that there was a 
hidden power in the scene before him — a mighty 
energy of nature upon which he might lay his 
hand, and with which he might co-operate in his 
industrial pursuits. Ages passed by, and at 
length the European appeared upon the scene. 
He had been familiar with the use of the water- 
wheel in his home land, but for long years he did 
not even think of applying the power which he 
knew was hurling those waters forward on their 
resistless course to the practical purposes to 
which he had seen the power of little streams ap- 
plied in other lands. At last, however, a few 
enterprising and courageous men made the at- 
tempt; channels and tunnels were ait through 
the solid rock, the rushing water was drawn 



88 The Church of Pentecost 

aside, and in due time ponderous machinery was 
moving steadily in obedience to a power which 
had been obtained from the mighty Niagara. 

Time passed, and the scientist appeared upon 
the scene. He gazed upon the rushing river and 
falling torrent, and thought of the possibilities 
lying within the reach of such exhaustless en- 
ergy ; but what about those at a distance? Could 
this power be conveyed to them? Certainly it 
could. It could be transmuted into another form 
and made to bear another name, and while still 
dependent upon its original source, could thus 
be sent to cities and towns far away. In due time 
this ideal was fully realized, and the electric wire 
now carries the energy of Niagara for man's use 
as obediently as does the tunnel cut in the rock 
in the form of rushing water. 

The great works constructed for the utiliza- 
tion of this power are in operation now; but 
surely it never occurs to the miller with his wheel, 
or the manufacturer with his dynamo, to gather 
up all his resources of energy, sever the connec- 
tion with Niagara, and drive the machinery with 
power latent in the machinery itself. Such a sug- 
gestion would seem to him nothing short of an 
evidence of insanity on the part of the one sug- 
gesting it. Whatever may be done or left 
undone, the connection with Niagara must be 



Power from on High 89 

preserved at any and every hazard. Capital, 
mac'hinery, skill, all are absolutely useless with- 
out that connection. 

What Niagara is to these vast industrial struc- 
tures with their ponderous machinery and aston- 
ishing capacity for work, such is the risen and 
enthroned Christ to the Christian believer, and 
especially to the worker in the Lord's vineyard. 
The believer has the promise of amazing power, 
but not in himself. Its source is in Christ, and in 
him alone. Like all God's spiritual gifts to the 
household of believers, this power from on high ( 
is dependent upon vital union with Christ, and 
this in its turn is dependent upon continuous 
obedience and sustained faith in Christ and the 
promises. 

In recent years man has made gigantic strides 
in the region of scientific discovery; but he has 
created no new power and added nothing to the 
sum total of energy which was in the world be- 
fore he appeared upon the scene. His great 
achievements are brought about by discovering 
the forces of nature and the laws which govern 
them, and putting himself in harmony with these 
so that he becomes literally a co-worker with 
nature. The Christian believer in like manner 
explores the spiritual realm, discovers its laws 
and its harmonies, learns of its unspeakable pos- 



90 The Church of Pentecost 

sibilities, puts himself in the right relation to all 
these by accepting union with Christ, and enters 
upon a career of exploration and achievement 
compared with which the pursuits of the scientist 
are like the pastimes of children. 

Closely allied to the mistake mentioned above, 
is the very common idea that when the anointing 
of spiritual power comes upon a believer, it will 
be in the form of a felt energy. The seeker after 
power hopes to become conscious of having 
found the object of his search. He wishes to re- 
joice in his strength, and to go forth like a young 
man eager to enter the lists at a race. It may 
possibly be so in the case of some; but if so-, the 
witnesses to this kind of experience are few. 
Much more frequently the experience of Jacob 
is that of the disciple who wrestles with the Angel 
of the Covenant. The moment of conscious and 
helpless weakness becomes the moment of su- 
preme victory. The law of the kingdom of God 
is, that the believer's strength is made perfect in 
weakness. Hence it is a very common thing to 
hear testimonies to the effect that the first out- 
ward manifestation of unwonted power attend- 
ing the word or works of the parties concerned, 
comes at a time of felt weakness, and to the very 
great surprise of the one to whom the power is 
vouchsafed. 



Power from on High 91 

If the story of Samson were proved a myth a 
hundred times over, it would not make his his- 
tory less instructive to the Christian yearning for 
the gift of power. Wherever he went the amazed 
people sought in vain to learn the source of his 
extraordinary physical strength. He was not a 
giant, and there does not appear to have been 
anything unusual in his physical development. 
Had his right arm been made of steel, or had 
there been an abnormal development of any or- 
gan of his body, attention would at once have 
been called to it. But nothing of the kind ever 
occurred, and when at last the truth was revealed, 
where lay the secret of his success? In the only 
part of the body in which there was absolutely no 
element of human strength whatever — in bis 
hair. Here we find most certainly a very strik- 
ing lesson, an illustration of the higher truth re- 
vealed in a later age, that God's gift of power to 
mortals is one which is made perfect in human 
weakness. 

As with strength, so with every element of 
human greatness. The man of spiritual power is 
a stranger to earthly pomp, worldly wisdom, and 
carnal motives. He does not come to the front 
with the air of a conquering hero. He may be 
eloquent, but more probably he will not be so 
accounted according to the standard of this 



92 The Church of Pentecost 

world. The most successful preachers of the 
present generation; that is, the men whose 
preaching produces permanent effects, the men 
who "bring things to pass," are seldom popularly 
regarded as either "able" or eloquent. The Phil- 
istines were not more curious to discover the 
secret of Samson's power than were the vast 
majority of both religious and worldly critics to 
find out the secret of Mr. Spurgeon's success in 
'his early career, or of Mr. Moody's, when he sud- 
denly appeared before the British public with his 
immense assemblies and his simple but effective 
preaching. The power of Mr. Sankey's singing 
became the subject of even more bewildering in- 
quiry. Eminent musical critics were quoted to 
prove that his knowledge of music was defective, 
and his voice untrained, while his selections were 
regarded as beneath literary criticism; and yet 
t)he amazing fact remained that his singing had 
an element of religious power in it Which none of 
the trained choirs of the land, nor all of them 
combined, could hope to produce. 

Every Christian worker who is eager to re- 
ceive at his Master's hand an anointing of power, 
and especially every preacher who aspires to the 
largest possible measure of what is called minis- 
terial success, should ever bear in mind that one 
important element of power which is bestowed 



Power from on High 93 

from on high, is simplicity. The overwhelming 
grandeur of the scene which attended the suc- 
cession of Elisha to the office and work of the 
mighty Elijah, has profoundly affected the im- 
agination of multitudes of earnest Christians, and 
an eager desire to be robed in a mantle of power 
is often expressed by devout disciples, who are 
as sincere as they are earnest. This desire is also 
both inspired and intensified by our Savior's 
farewell promise of an enduement of power to his 
disciples; but those who are impressed by this 
conception of power, as that of a mantle received 
and worn, should remember that Elijah's mantle 
was at best only a Bedouin blanket made of 
camel's hair, or possibly a robe of sheepskin. 
This mighty child of the desert was the last man 
on earth to put on the "soft raiment" of luxuri- 
ous livers, or the pompous purple of the palace. 
He was one of the greatest and grandest men, in 
ages past or present; but his life was simplicity 
itself. Elisha took up the forsaken mantle, it is 
true; but it was Elijah's desert blanket, and not 
a robe from the palace of Jezreel. Jesus would 
indeed bestow a mantle of power upon those who 
are willing to wear it; but those who aspire to 
this- distinction must remember that the robe, 
like the Master who gives it, has no earthly 
beauty which will lead the children of this world 



94 The Church of Pentecost 

to desire it, although in the eyes of those who 
gaze from heaven upon earthly scenes it may be 
radiant with beauty and glory. 

The believer who has received the anointing 
of power may be expected, as a general rule, to 
receive with it a meek and quiet spirit. He has 
confidence in the Holy Spirit. He has learned 
the meaning of the words, "Tihine is the power." 
Vociferous prayer and stormy preaching may be- 
come the habit of a good man, but are by no 
means an evidence of spiritual power. Not a few 
good men fall into the mistake of supposing that 
Jacob won his great victory by his persistent 
wrestling, but fail to perceive that it was clinging 
weakness rather than overcoming strength which 
made Jacob a man of princely power. The man 
of scientific power is one who quietly trusts the 
energies of nature to work with him ; the man of 
spiritual power is the believer who calmly trusts 
the Holy Spirit to co-operate with him as he per- 
forms his share of the task which he believes God 
has assigned to him. In a very blessed sense the 
kingdom of heaven is taken by violence ; but it is 
the violence of faith operating in the unseen 
spiritual realm, and not that of mental or physical 
effort which operates in a wholly different sphere. 

When a child I often visited a small country 
mill, where I used to watch with unfailing interest 



Power from on High 95 

the miller at his work. Winding along a grassy 
slope above the mill was the quiet mill-race, in 
which the water lay with a surface as smooth as 
glass. Often and again I have seen the miller 
lift a bag of corn and pour the grain into a large 
hopper, and then reaching up his hand he would 
pull a well-worn leather strap which hung against 
the wall, and immediately there would be a re- 
sponse without. The water, released from the 
race, would begin to dash itself against the old 
moss-grown Wheel, and in five seconds the great 
ponderous wheel would begin to revolve, and all 
the machinery within would be set in motion. 
The miller was the man of power on the occa- 
sion; but his part of the actual work was very 
small indeed. He never helped the machinery 
to work, and, above all, he never went out and 
tried to hasten things by pushing forward the 
water in the mill-race. 

It has sometimes seemed to me, when observ- 
ing the vigorous efforts, both vocal and physical, 
made by some good men to add interest to a 
meeting, or to stimulate their own earnestness, 
that they were trying to push the water in the 
mill-race. Calm confidence in God does not 
seem to be the habitual resource of such persons 
in times when God's immediate power is needed, 
and when nothing but God's power can avail. 



96 The Church of Pentecost 

Does not a mistake of this kind too frequently 
characterize some of the modern revival methods 
which may be witnessed in our Churches? 

Very many persons earnestly covet the gift of 
power from on high under the mistaken impres- 
sion that its chief purpose is to make its possessor 
a soul-winner. Many a preacher has sought this 
power with intense earnestness, in the hope that 
sinners might be convicted under his preaching, 
and when filled with the Spirit has afterward 
been surprised that the effects which he had ex- 
pected to see did not attend his word. Jesus did 
not teach his disciples to cherish so narrow an 
expectation as this. It does indeed seem that 
he connected a special promise of power with 
his last commission, and that all who became 
his witnesses are assured of this special aid ; but 
other assurances had been given concerning 
power in prayer, and concerning the whole round 
sphere of Christian duty to his disciples in all 
ages. 

The power to win souls is a precious gift, and 
in some measure is no doubt given to every be- 
liever; but it may not be a special power in a 
given case, nor should it be assumed that it will 
be the most prominent gift received. As re- 
marked before, this power from on high is not 
the greatest of a series of gifts, but is rather that 



Power from on High 97 

peculiar bestowment which makes all the normal 
gifts of the Spirit effective. As these gifts are 
distributed by the Holy Spirit according to his 
infinite wisdom, so the power which comes im- 
partially upon all alike will attend the efforts of 
all in normal measure. The preacher in the pul- 
pit may indeed be enabled to speak like an 
anointed Elijah, but not less really will the same 
Spirit aid the devout child as he lisps his simple 
prayer at his mother's knee. 

The modern Church has much to learn con- 
cerning her privilege to be robed with power 
from on high. The standard of experience re- 
alized in the Church of Pentecost, should be the 
standard of the Universal Church of to-day. 
There should be the old-time power in the pulpit, 
in the prayer-meeting, in the Sunday-school, in 
the social circle, and in the daily round of Chris- 
tian duty of each individual. The feeble mem- 
bers of the flock should become as David, while 
the modern David should become as the angel 
of Jehovah. The Pentecostal power would place 
the Universal Church upon a new vantage 
ground at the opening of the century just at 
hand. 'It would be more than equal to a re-en- 
forcement of a hundred million believing men 
and women. In giving the Christian host power 
with God, it would lift the Church above the 
7 



98 The Church of Pentecost 

struggling penury with which her aggressive 
work is now carried on. In giving power with 
men, it would inspire all hearts with invincible 
courage, unite all in common faith and prayer, 
and lead all forward in a combined assault on the 
powers of darkness which would make the very 
gates of hell to tremble. 

To the individual Christian who yearns for tihe 
enduement of power, it need only be said that no 
such blessing need be sought apart from the full- 
ness of the Holy Spirit. As John said of the 
Savior, that at the beginning he was with God 
and also that he was God, so it may be said of 
the power from on high ; it is in tihe Spirit, and it 
is the Spirit. It is God co-operating with men. 
This highest power known to mortals can be 
found only at the feet of the risen Son of God, 
whose Divine prerogative it is to baptize with the 
Holy Spirit. Let the earnest inquirer go to 
Christ himself for the gift, not of power, but of 
the Spirit's fullness, and with this fullness will 
come power, beyond that of mortals, for the pe- 
culiar task which the Master will assign to the 
suppliant. What that service will be is known 
only to the Master himself; but unless the dis- 
ciple is willing to accept any service, to pursue 
any line of duty which may fall to his lot, he will 
seek in vain for the anointing of power. Perfect 



Power from on High 99 

obedience is a condition of the full manifestation 
of tihe spiritual life. May God, the Father of all, 
who tenderly leads every sincere seeker after 
light upon the pathway of duty, guide the read- 
er's feet into the pathway, not only of duty, but 
also of power from on high ! 



vn 

THE FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT 

" The kingdom of heaven is within you."— I/uke xvii, 21. 

" That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith."— Eph. hi, 17. 

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering-, 
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance." — Gal. v, 
22, 23. 

" In whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that 
Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance, 
until the redemption of the purchased possession."— Eph. i, 
13, 14- 

"Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into 
the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them 
that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his 
Spirit." — 1 Cor. ii, 9, 10. 

The vital union of a believer with his risen 
Savior, whereby he is made partaker of the 
Christ-life, brings him at once into touch with the 
heavenly world. He is made to "taste of the 
heavenly gift, and the powers of the world to 
come." (Heb. vi, 4, 5.) He becomes at once 
heir to a heavenly inheritance, and a partaker of 
its unspeakable riches and glory. No more per- 
sistent mistake is made by superficial readers of 
the Bible, than that of supposing that heaven is 
an invisible realm of matchless splendor of which 
we know nothing, and can know nothing, until 



The Fruits of the Spirit 101 

we are ushered into its golden courts at the end 
of our earthly pilgrimage. Such, however, is by 
no means the teaching of Scripture, nor is it in 
harmony with the experience of the most spirit- 
ually-minded believers. It most certainly was 
not the ideal set before the disciples by our Sa- 
vior. So far from it, he taught them that the 
kingdom of heaven was set up in the believer's 
heart on earth, and the early Christians received 
with tlhe gift of the Spirit rich spiritual manifes- 
tations which they were taught to regard as an 
"earnest" of their final inheritance in glory. 

This metaphor of the "earnest" is one of the 
most beautiful and expressive figures to be found 
in the whole range of Bible promises. The cus- 
tom of paying a small portion of the price agreed 
upon between buyer and seller as "earnest 
money," is still very common in Oriental coun- 
tries. It binds the agreement firmly, and the 
party receiving the money knows that the moiety 
given 'him is a pledge that the full amount prom- 
ised will be paid in similar coin. In like manner 
the Holy Spirit in the heart gives the Christian 
disciple an earnest ; that is, a foretaste, of heaven. 
He is made a partaker of a love which is divine, 
of a peace which is perennial as the flow of a 
mighty river, of a joy which is unfading, and of a 
hope which is inseparable from the living Christ 



102 The Church of Pentecost 

revealed in his heart. He truly tastes of "the 
powers of the world to come," and heaven is to 
him more — unspeakably more — than an unseen 
and an unknown realm of beauty, which he is to 
see and enjoy at some future day. 

Nothing could be clearer or more expressive 
than the language of our Savior in which he 
taught his disciples that they were to be made 
partakers of the heavenly graces with which he 
was himself endowed in full measure, "Peace I 
leave with you, my peace I give unto you." (John 
xiv, 2J.) "These things have I spoken unto you 
that my joy might remain in you." (John xv, 
ii.) And the last petition which these disciples 
heard from his lips before his betrayal, was, if pos- 
sible, even more expressive: "I have declared 
unto them thy name, and will declare it, that the 
love wherewith thou hast loved me* may be in 
them, and I in them." (John xvii, 26.) Truly 
the lowly disciple, to whom it is given to be as his 
Lord, both in lowliness and in exalted privilege, 
is made a partaker of heavenly gifts while yet a 
pilgrim and a stranger on earth. He lives on 
earth, but belongs to heaven, and while for a 
season he sojourns here, he is favored with a rich 
foretaste of the endless bliss which is assured to 
every believer in the paradise above. The peace 
of God, that of which Jesus spoke as "My peace," 



The Fruits of the Spirit 103 

the love of Christ, the joy which no man can mar 
or take away, the hope which brings the unseen 
into view, and the whole rich cluster of spiritual 
graces which are created in the heart by the im- 
mediate power of the Holy Spirit, all belong to 
heaven, and form a part of the earnest which as- 
sures us of our heirship to the "purchased pos- 
session" in the better world. 

These heavenly gifts are spoken of in the New 
Testament as the "fruits of the Spirit." A partial 
list of these is given in one of the passages placed 
at the head of this chapter, but the possibilities of 
human language would be exhausted before a 
full list could be given. It is with reference to 
these manifestations in the believer's heart that 
we are told that "eye hath not seen, nor ear 
heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, 
the things which God hath prepared for those 
that love him." These glowing words have, it is 
true, been usually applied to the unseen splendors 
of the better world; but the clause with which 
the verse concludes clearly connects them with 
the privileges of believers still on earth, "But God 
hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit." Not 
only can they be revealed, but they actually are 
revealed to living disciples. In other words, the 
disciple knows in part, and can testify in part, 
but at times he is taken up into some mount of 



104 The Church of Pentecost 

transfiguration where special communion is 
vouchsafed to him, and where for a season he 
seems to dwell in the very Holy of Holies, and, 
like the ancient prophet and saint, is permitted to 
talk face to face with God himself. 

While myriads of believers have borne witness 
to the reality of these spiritual graces in the 
heart, no one has yet succeeded in defining them. 
For instance, if one whose heart is filled and 
swayed by the peace of God were asked to state 
in simple words how this peace differs from the 
natural tranquillity of mind and heart which is 
often experienced by persons who are not Chris- 
tians, it is probable that the answer would be that 
one is earthly and the other heavenly; but no 
Christian, however gifted in thought or speech, 
can explain clearly what he means by the word 
"heavenly.'* He knows that a quiet, deep, and 
sweet emotion has taken possession of his inner 
being, and something which can only be likened 
to a divine instinct assures him that this has been 
wafted into his soul by that Breath which bloweth 
where it listeth. It is thus also with the new love 
which is implanted in his heart, a love which in a 
special sense attests his having become a partaker 
of the divine nature. It is not human affection, 
it is not an earthly affection at all ; it is not a 
feeling of benevolence, but it is the love of Christ, 



The Fruits of the Spirit 105 

a love with a constraining power found nowhere 
else save in a Christian believer's heart. It is 
redolent of (heaven, and seems ever to spread a 
heavenly fragrance around its possessor. Nor is 
the feeling of joy which springs up in a believer's 
heart a product of this world. In words of touch- 
ing assurance Jesus spoke of this grace as "My 
joy," and as such it was one of his special gifts to 
those whom he recognized as his own. Many 
happy hearts can always be found in our world, 
many sources of earthly joy are known to worldly 
people; but the joy of heaven, the joy which is 
"unutterable and full of glory," the joy which 
springs directly from the Spirit dwelling in the 
inner sanctuary of the soul, is something its pos- 
sessor will never confound with any feeling of 
happiness or pleasure known to the children of 
this world. 

The fruits of the Spirit are but so many ele- 
ments which belong to the kingdom of God in 
the heart. "The kingdom of God is righteous- 
ness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost." 
(Rom. xiv, 17.) The Spirit who reveals Christ 
as enthroned in the heart, reveals also the things 
of Christ, the things which pertain to this inner 
kingdom. Hence the presence of these heavenly 
graces in the believer's soul always carries with it 
a conscious presence of the King in the person 



106 The Church of Pentecost 

of Jesus Christ, the risen Son of God. The be- 
liever thus favored and thus endowed with royal 
blessings from the hand of the King himself, may 
truly affirm that he is -heir to a heavenly king- 
dom, and that he has already entered in part into 
the possession of his inheritance. "We which 
have believed do enter into rest." (Heb. iv, 3.) 
It is very often supposed that this foretaste of 
heaven which is granted to the believer while stiU 
on earth, is a kind of holy rapture, and is a state 
of grace chiefly to be desired for its own sake. 
In other words, the same mistake is made in 
reference to the "earnest" of heaven which is 
generally made concerning the heavenly inherit- 
ance itself. To many, probably to most persons, 
heaven stands for little more than a final refuge 
from every form of earthly ill, and a vast realm 
filled with every possible form of pure delight. In 
like manner a mistaken impression prevails very 
generally concerning the manifestation of the 
Spirit in the heart, and the somewhat vague lan- 
guage in which many speak of their own inner 
experiences does not a little to foster this mis- 
take. The kingdom of God in the heart is not 
meat or drink, nor is it a rapturous delight with- 
out purpose, and without any special bearing 
upon life and character. Heaven is doubtless a 
sphere of ceaseless activity, and the foretaste of 



The Fruits of the Spirit 107 

heaven which the Christian is permitted to enjoy- 
on earth is a part of the discipline which is needed 
to prepare him for the higher and holier activities 
of that better world. Happiness, for its own 
sake, has no place in the Christian system, in 
either earth or heaven, and mere rapture of the 
soul is by no means the whole, or the chief part, 
of what is meant by the fruits of the Spirit re- 
vealed in the believer's heart. 

So far is this from being the case, that accord- 
ing to New Testament teaching the fruits of the 
Spirit serve in an important degree to form a 
basis of character, and also add greatly to the 
power of their possessor as a worker in his Mas- 
ter's vineyard. Love is more than an emotion; 
it is the "bond of perfectness," the power which 
binds together in harmony and completeness all 
the virtues and graces which enter into the struc- 
ture of Christian character. Peace is an element 
of power, and as such it both "rules" and "keeps" 
in the realm of personal experience. Joy is a 
source of strength — "The joy of the Lord is your 
strength." It adds also to the efficiency of the 
Christian worker, and hence the ancient psalmist 
prayed: "Restore unto me the joy of thy salva- 
tion; . . . then will I teach transgressors thy 
way, and sinners shall be converted unto thee." 
(Psalm li, 12, 13.) Hope is to the anxious soul 



108 The Church of Pentecost 

in peril what an anchor is to the storm-tossed 
ship. Meekness is more than an inoffensive dis- 
position ; it is an element of success, and in time 
will hold the world in its quiet grasp. Right- 
eousness is a royal gift, and insures its possessor 
of kinship with those who sit upon thrones and 
dispense justice with royal dignity and power. 
Long-suffering and gentleness and goodness — 
what are these but reproductions of qualities of 
character which belonged to the Master himself 
when here on earth? 

In the very brief history of the Church of Pen- 
tecost contained in the New Testament, we could 
not expect to find any detailed account of the 
spiritual attainments, or even a distinct statement 
of the general standard of experience of the 
whole body of disciples. We only know that all, 
except no doubt a few misplaced intruders like 
Ananias and his wife, were filled with the Spirit, 
and we may infer, of course, that the fruits of the 
Spirit were abundantly manifest both in daily life 
and personal character. Indeed, partial evidence 
of this is not wanting. The whole body of the 
disciples, at home and in public, constituted a 
joyous community. At home they ate their food 
with gladness, and abroad they rejoiced even in 
bold defiance of hostile threats, and actual suffer- 
ing at the hands of persecuting rulers. They 



The Fruits of the Spirit 109 

were bound together t by a personal affection 
wlhich made them seem like one vast family of 
brothers and sisters. They were animated by a 
faith, in which there was no element of either 
doubt or fear, and they lived in daily communion 
with the Holy Spirit, and in constant touch with 
the kingdom of God, with which they had be- 
come spiritually united. CHurdh membership 
was identical with membership in the kingdom 
which Christ had set up on earth, and they knew 
and loved their Lord and King. Nominal mem- 
bership in the little community was unknown. 
Impostors might have been found among them, 
and immature members were there in large num- 
bers; but it is probable that in the whole com- 
munity there was not one person who held and 
avowed a merely nominal connection with the 
Church. Such a person would have found his 
position so illogical as to make it more than em- 
barrassing. Both the glowing spirit of those 
within the Church, and the hostile spirit of those 
without, must have made it practically impossible 
for any one to 'hold a place in the community, 
and yet cherish feelings of indifference toward 
either the Church or its Master. 

The fruits of the Spirit, especially when pres- 
ent in normal measure in the general body of 
believers, and not in a few exceptional individuals 



no The Church of Pentecost 

only, impress observers with a peculiar convic- 
tion that there is a divine element in the Church 
of Christ, and that the living God is in the midst 
of the people. Hence the Church can no more 
dispense with the graces which adorn the Chris- 
tian life than she can do without the divine 
power which upholds and sustains her. The 
power to repeat the miracles of the New Testa- 
ment age is not needed so much as the exhibition 
before the world, especially the materialistic 
world of the present day, of a life which is mani- 
festly divine. Such a life belongs to heaven, and 
multitudes of the children of this world are led, 
in most cases, by a kind of unconscious instinct, 
to recognize this fact. On the other hand, a man 
bearing the Christian name, and yet not having 
become a partaker of spiritual life in Christ, can 
not in the very nature of the case impress worldly 
persons as differing materially from themselves. 
The divine element is wanting in his life, and no 
amount of formal religiousness can supply its 
place. 

It is difficult to resist a serious misgiving con- 
cerning the spiritual tone of large numbers of our 
modern Churches. If their membership is made 
up of persons who are enriched with the priceless 
fruits of the Spirit, no evidence of that fact is 
apparent to the ordinary observer. Tens of thou- 



The Fruits of the Spirit 1 1 1 

sands of new members are admitted every year, 
and in many cases these pledged disciples of 
Christ know nothing of the new life, of the love 
of Christ, of the peace of God, or of joy in the 
Holy Spirit ; nor do they expect to know. They 
have not been taught as w r ere the inquirers who 
flocked for admittance to the doors of the Church 
of Pentecost, and they merely join the throng, 
already too large, of those who pass their lives 
in regarding heaven and all heavenly things, not 
perhaps excepting God himself, as far away in 
the future, and as subjects of religious contem- 
plation rather -than divine realities to be sought 
and found in the present life. 

It has been assumed throughout this brief 
chapter that the various fruits of the Spirit may 
very properly become subjects of personal testi- 
mony, or of inquiry and personal teaching, as 
occasion may demand. Some very excellent peo- 
ple will dissent from this view, and maintain that 
the best taste demands rather that reticence be 
observed in all matters which pertain to the 
deepest emotions of our religious nature. Some- 
times, no doubt, the Christian disciple is favored 
with a spiritual vision which he distinctly feels is 
to be told to no man; but the precedents fur- 
nished in the direct teachings and the general 
tone of the New Testament are all opposed to 



112 The Church of Pentecost 

any such rule of reticence. The early Chris- 
tians, and especially Paul, the apostle, spoke 
with the utmost freedom of their spiritual 
experiences whenever the occasion called for 
such testimony; but there was nothing per- 
functory, much less inquisitorial, in the per- 
formance of this duty. Religious testimony 
loses its power the moment it ceases to be spon- 
taneous and free. It is but natural that most 
persons should be less free to speak of what trans- 
pires in the hidden chambers of their hearts, than 
of that which takes place in the outer world, and 
yet it is in these hidden chambers that the most 
painful sorrows often dwell, the heaviest chains 
are riveted, and the deepest darkness reigns ; and 
when God sends a glad deliverance to those in 
sorest need, it would be strange indeed if any 
natural shrinking from publicity, or any sense of 
the impropriety of speaking of personal matters, 
should seal the lips of the one who has felt the 
touch of the Divine hand, or heard the soothing 
words of the Divine voice. No ; whether it is to 
be the healing of a diseased body, or of a broken 
heart ; whether it be the opening of prison doors 
or release from the bondage of the soul, the ran- 
somed disciple should ever be ready to ascribe 
both the power and the glory to Him w;ho has 
said, "Ye shall be witnesses unto Me." 



vra 

THE GIFTS OF PENTECOST 

" Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. . . . 
For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom ; to another 
the word of knowledge, by the same Spirit ; to another faith, by 
the same Spirit ; to another the gifts of healing, by the same 
Spirit ; to another the working of miracles ; to another prophecy ; 
to another discerning of spirits ; to another divers kinds of 
tongues ; to another the interpretation of tongues ; but all these 
worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man 
severally as he will." — i Cor. xi, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11. 

"When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and 

gave gifts unto men And he gave some, apostles ; and some, 

prophets ; and some, evangelists ; and some, pastors and teach- 
ers."— Eph. iv, 8, 11. 

The mission which was given to the anointed 
believers at Pentecost, not only of making Christ 
known to all nations, but of themselves exhibit- 
ing the Christ-life on earth, and carrying forward 
the Master's work, not only in its general fea- 
tures, but also with fullness of detail, made it ab- 
solutely necessary that the disciples should be 
endowed with a special preparation for their 
work. This could hardly have been done by 
clothing each weak mortal with all the gifts 
which the Master himself possessed, and hence 
we find a rich profusion of spiritual gifts and 
8 113 



114 The Church of Pentecost 

graces was distributed among the whole body of 
disciples, in such order and in such measure as 
seemed best to Infinite Wisdom. These gifts 
were manifold, and for the most part seem to 
have been bestowed in full measure. Several of 
them are found in the Epistles, in which twenty 
or more are enumerated, although some of the 
terms employed are probably included, in part 
at least, in other terms ; yet on the other hand, it 
must be noted that the several gifts are only al- 
luded to incidentally, and in no case is it assumed 
that God's bounty was exhausted in bestowing 
those gifts which are mentioned. So far from it, 
we may assume that the servants of Jesus Christ 
in every age are equipped for the peculiar emer- 
gencies which they have to meet, and there is 
certainly no presumption in venturing to believe 
that in our day a richer endowment of such gifts 
is not only needed, but is actually given, than 
during the first century. This is particularly true 
in the wide and ever- widening sphere of woman's 
work when there are opportunities now set before 
the Church w i hich were impossible twenty cen- 
turies ago. 

We may safely assume that the miraculous ele- 
ment, in the strict sense of the word miraculous, 
has disappeared from the list of New Testament 
gifts. Miraculous power has always attended the 



The Gifts of Pentecost 1 1 5 

bestowment of a new revelation from God to 
men, and would seem to be needed in order fully 
to attest such a Divine message; but now that 
revelation is complete, miracles have disappeared 
from the Church. By the word "miracle" here 
is meant, of course, not merely a supernatural or 
extraordinary event, but an act which involves 
creative power, such as healing a leper, giving 
eyes to one born blind, or raising the dead. We 
may for the same reason cease to expect a repe- 
tition of the gift of tongues, and of course with 
the withdrawal of this gift the power to interpret 
may be expected to disappear also. The some- 
what vexed question of healing the sick, though 
not necessarily included among miraculous gifts, 
would seem to be so closely linked with the main 
question as to be practically inseparable from it. 
With these exceptions, however, the gifts of Pen- 
tecost are still the heritage of the Church, and 
modern Christians do themselves a great wrong 
when they neglect to equip themselves for every 
form of service which the Spirit and providence 
of God may require at their hands. 

If an evangelist were to visit a community of 
unbelievers and preach Christ to the people, and 
if the Spirit should give power to the word, and 
fifty or one hundred persons were to accept Christ 
and receive the Holy Spirit, the stranger might 



1 1 6 The Church of Pentecost 

confidently assume that among the converts 
would be found one or more persons gifted with 
a measure of leadership ; that one or more would 
be able to speak to edification, or to pray with 
liberty ; and that a dozen would develop gifts for 
instructing the young, witnessing for Christ, at- 
tending to material interests, or, in short, doing 
all the work which God would have his people 
perform. If the reader should recall, as he prob- 
ably will, one or more instances in which no such 
prepared persons were found among the converts 
of such an evangelist, it may be assumed, almost 
with absolute certainty, that the persons in ques- 
tion were not instructed "unto" the baptism of 
the Holy Spirit. It is God's plan to enrich his 
people in every age and in every land with all the 
gifts needful for carrying forward the Master's 
work, and all over the world illustrations are 
constantly occurring which, in essential fact, are 
almost as striking as in the case of the trans- 
formed believers of the first Pentecost. 

When mention is made of the bestowment of 
the ancient gifts of Pentecost upon modern be- 
lievers, even though the miraculous element is 
carefully excluded, it is probable that very many, 
if not indeed most persons, will be ready to as- 
sume that the more extraordinary of these gifts 
are mo'st to be coveted, and first to be expected ; 



The Gifts of Pentecost 117 

but such is by no means the mind of the Spirit. 
In the early Church the gift of tongues, which 
served little purpose save as a "sign," was more 
highly prized than the much more valuable gift of 
prophecy, which enables believers to speak with 
both authority and power. The one gift was a 
marvel which excited attention, and perhaps ad- 
miration, while the other was a means of grace 
which brought men and women into direct co- 
operation with the Holy Spirit. The gifts which 
the Church of the present day most needs are not 
by any means, those which, in modern phrase, 
would give a sensational character to the work of 
believers. It is an absolute condition of God's 
co-operation with men that the servant must sub- 
ordinate his will to that of the Master, and accept 
those posts of duty and those errands of mercy 
which are assigned from above. The service of 
the Master when on earth was a lowly service, 
and even when exhibiting the most amazing 
tokens of his power he never for a single day or a 
single hour allowed himself to forget that his 
mission was to a fallen world, to a bruised and 
helpless people, to sinful and sorrowing multi- 
tudes. His miracles were incidental to his chief 
work, and, not the latter to his miracles. The 
modern disciple who would be enriched with the 
enduement of spiritual gifts, would do well, first 



1 1 8 The Church of Pentecost 

of all, to ponder the meaning of the words, "It is 
enough for the disciple that he be as his Master, 
and the servant as his Lord." 

If we enter any one of ten thousand, or twenty 
thousand, churches of the present day, we find a 
condition somewhat like the following: A min- 
ister is in the pulpit, who prepares and delivers 
two discourses on Sunday, and perhaps a shorter 
talk during the week. A choir is in charge of the 
singing, and at the public meeting a few of the 
people join in this part of the worship. A Sun- 
day-school is connected with the Church, and the 
children are early taught to worship God. At 
the weekly prayer-meeting a very limited number 
of persons are able to lead in prayer, while as to 
testimony, in some Churches it is never heard. 
In liturgical Churches the people more generally 
join in public devotions, but are more generally 
silent in extemporary prayer and testimony. 
Family religion is recognized, at least in a gen- 
eral way. The people are expected to live up- 
right lives, and in the main do so. For these 
Christian Churches we ought to feel devoutly 
thankful ; but when we attempt to measure them 
by the standard of the Church of Pentecost, the 
contrast is startling. In the latter Church all had 
received at least the gift of utterance. A tongue 
of flame had descended and sat upon each dis- 



The Gifts of Pentecost 1 1 9 

ciple. Every member of that notable Church 
could speak forth the praises of God, could testify 
to the power of the risen Christ, and could join 
in vocal prayer to the Master of assemblies. If 
we are to receive an impartation of the gifts of 
Pentecost in our modern Churches, we ought to 
be willing, and perhaps ought to expect, that the 
very first gifts sent down upon us shall be the 
power of speech. If the sign only could be 
given, if the lambent flame could again be seen 
descending on waiting disciples, there might be 
a more general interest in the subject; but the 
era of symbols and shadows has passed away, 
and we are now face to face with practical reali- 
ties. The ancient tongues of flame were ours, 
as well as the token given to the hundred and 
twenty believers at Pentecost, and mean as much 
to us as to that band of faithful disciples who 
have ever since been regarded as the most highly 
favored of the race. 

The Church of the present day is certainly, 
although somewhat slowly, beginning to realize 
the supreme importance of active labor in the 
vineyard of the Master. An idle Christian is an 
utter misnomer. The disciple is in the world to 
represent the Master, and must in some way, in 
some department of Christian activity, render 
actual service in the Master's name. What shall 



120 The Church of Pentecost 

that service be? Where, and in what way, can 
the willing disciple find his alloted task? 

Among the spiritual gifts enumerated in the 
first chapter of twelfth Corinthians, we find the 
singular term "helps." The word is a very sim- 
ple one, and for that very reason is liable to be 
overlooked. It is not in average human nature, 
as we find it in life, to appreciate the privilege of 
being allowed to help other people, and yet a 
call for help is the unspoken cry of universal 
humanity. We all need help in some form or 
other, and the best instincts of the renewed 
Christian heart will ever prompt its possessor to 
lend a helping hand to any and every one in 
need. The poor need help, the unfortunate, the 
bruised, the stranger, the sick and the afflicted, 
the tempted and the tried, the erring and the 
sinning, the falling and the fallen, the widow 
and the orphan, the burdened and the weary; 
these and a multitude of others are ever needing 
help, and if they do not often find a tongue with 
which to express their want, their very dumb- 
ness only adds point and edge to their mute ap- 
peals. In a world so full of human needs, no 
disciple of Him who went about doing good, 
need for a single hour be without a task. A will- 
ing heart will soon' prompt willing hands and 
willing feet to action, and the willing disciple 



The Gifts of Pentecost 121 

will thus become an active worker in his Master's 
blessed name. 

It is "very true, no doubt, that the word 
"helps" quoted above, standing in the connec- 
tion in which we find it, primarily refers to the 
work of assistants in what might be called 
Church work. Thus Mark at first was a helper 
to Barnabas and Paul, and was succeeded in this 
work by Silas when the two first missionaries 
separated. But the term is not one which can 
be limited to certain specific offices, nor can it 
be confined in any strict sense of the word to 
Church work. A modern deaconess, for in- 
stance, who acts as a pastor's assistant, is a 
helper in the Church; but her duties will con- 
stantly carry her into environments where no 
Church interest is recognized, and where she 
simply appears as a disciple of Jesus Christ. 
This is still more true of many Christian workers 
who hold no recognized office, who have been 
formally appointed to no allotted tasks, and yet 
who habitually, in season and out of season, lend 
helping hands to any and every one whom they 
may find in need. 

The position and work of a helper in a Church 
are prizes not often coveted among modern 
Christians, and yet in the limited sense of eccle- 
siastical assistants the "helps" of the early 



122 The Church of Pentecost 

Church are still greatly needed, and can be most 
usefully employed. It is not a healthy or hope- 
ful symptom among the young men who aspire 
to the Christian ministry, that very few of them 
are willing to accept the position of assistants 
for even a single year. It is not thus in law or 
in medicine, where most young men prize the 
privilege of beginning their life work in associa- 
tion with some older and more experienced per- 
son. This, however, is a minor question. A 
host of helpers are needed in every department 
of Christian work, and the need is too great to 
permit us to hope that it can be supplied by any 
class of what might be called official workers. 
All Christians must be enlisted in this 'hallowed 
service. The disciple of Jesus Christ should be 
the helper of universal humanity, and every be- 
liever should, within the sphere in which God's 
providence places him, accept nis mission, and 
keep his hand ever held out towards those who 
need help. 

A ministry so universal as this can be created 
in one way only. The anointing of the Spirit 
which came upon the believers at Pentecost is 
an abiding inheritance of the Church. It will 
come in every age in greater or less measure 
according to the consecration and faith of the 
Church. All the gifts needed will be given, and 



The Gifts of Pentecost 123 

given in the measure which the occasion may 
demand. The same Spirit which anointed the 
apostles at Pentecost can raise up and empower 
a whole race of apostles for the coming achieve- 
ments of the twentieth century. The anointing 
which made the prophetic gift the common 
privilege of sons and daughters and house-serv- 
ants, will come again upon waiting millions 
and move them to bear witness with more than 
mortal power to the risen Son of God. A race 
of teachers will be raised up to instruct the com- 
ing millions and myriads who in the next cen- 
tury may be expected to turn from paganism to 
Christianity. Pastors will rise up in every town 
and village to care for Churches, while evangel- 
ists will go forth throughout the length and 
breadth of the whole earth proclaiming the 
evangel of the mighty angel whom John saw 
flying through the mid-heaven, having the ever- 
lasting gospel for all nations. 

It may surprise any one who makes a careful 
search for references to spiritual gifts in the New 
Testament, to discover that neither prayer nor 
preaching is included in any of the lists of which 
mention is made above. This seeming omission 
is not owing to any want of importance in these 
two prominent gifts, but can easily be accounted 
for by the fact that they are included in other 



124 The Church of Pentecost 

gifts. First of all, we find the gift of "utterance" 
mentioned, which certainly includes, in a meas- 
ure, a provision for both of these exercises. 
Then we find mention of "faith" among spiritual 
gifts ; that is, the gift of faith as distinct from the 
grace of faith, and we can hardly conceive of 
the exercise of such a gift apart from prayer. In 
like manner preaching is so inseparably con- 
nected with prophecy, in the New Testament 
sense of the word, that the two words may often 
be used interchangeably. As a matter of fact, 
the need of special help from the Holy Spirit, in 
both prayer and preaching, is universally con- 
fessed by spiritually-minded Christians, and the 
extraordinary power of the Spirit's anointing in 
the exercise of both gifts is one of the most 
striking features of the brief history of the 
Church of Pentecost. The mention of the word 
"power" suggests the thought that this, after all, 
is the real test of all Pentecostal gift. The 
anointing of the Spirit does not give believers 
extraordinary gifts, so much as it enables them 
to use ordinary gifts in an extraordinary way. 
The original promise of Pentecost was an as- 
surance of power, and this becomes in every age, 
not a special favor granted to a few, but a com- 
mon inheritance pertaining to the whole Chris- 
tian life. 



The Gifts of Pentecost 125 

I have purposely reserved what I wished to 
say concerning some of the prominent gifts of 
Pentecost, lest attention might become too 
much concentrated upon these, to the exclusion 
of other gifts which are equally vital to the best 
interests of the Church of Christ. Stephen was 
anointed for a holy ministry, and Paul received 
a wonderful commission ; but the maiden who is 
anointed to nurse the sick and minister to the 
dyingj or the young man who is sent to teach 
converts rescued from a degrading paganism, 
receives a calling which is as saintly and as 
heroic as that of Stephen or Paul. 

In the fourth chapter of the Epistle to the 
Ephesians we find a brief list of our Savior's 
gifts to his Church, with evident reference to 
the anointing of the Spirit received at Pentecost ; 
but instead of speaking, as elsewhere, of the gift 
in the abstract, some of the anointed workers are 
enumerated as God's gift to his people — "And 
he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; 
and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and 
teachers." (Ephesians iv, 11.) Highest in posi- 
tion among these is placed the apostle, but the 
most richly endowed is the prophet. Some men, 
like Paul, seem to have been wonderfully en- 
riched by receiving a measure of nearly every 
one of the gifts of Pentecost; while others, like 



126 The Church of Pentecost 

Philip, are anointed for only one special form of 
work ; but in each and every case the anointing 
was by "the same Spirit." It is still thus in the 
Church of Christ. The same Spirit distributes 
his gifts among the disciples of Christ as at the 
beginning. We can not tell why some are 
chosen for one work, and some for another; 
but it ought to suffice for us to be assured that 
the distribution in each and every case will be 
such as will best promote the highest interests 
of both the workers and the work. 



IX 
PROPHETS AND PROPHECY 

"Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather 
that ye may prophesy."— i Cor. xiv, i. 

" For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."— Rev. 
xix, 10. 

"Would to God that all the lord's people were prophets, and 
that the I^ord would put his Spirit upon them. ' '—Numbers 
xi, 29. 

" Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy."— 1 Cor. xiv, 39. 

When the prophet Joel announced the ad- 
vent of the full-orbed Christian dispensation as 
afterwards realized at Pentecost, he spoke of 
only three special gifts which were to attend 
the outpouring of the Spirit in full measure, 
and these three gifts were so closely allied as to 
be little more than different phases of the same 
blessing. "And your sons and your daughters 
shall prophesy, and your young men shall see 
visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. 
And on my servants and on my handmaidens I 
will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and 
they shall prophesy." (Acts ii, 17, 18.) The 
solemn portents of the sun robed in darkness, 
and the moon tinged with blood, with other 
wonders in heaven and signs on earth, can not 
127 



128 The Church of Pentecost 

be understood in any degree literally, and are in 
keeping with the verbal symbolism which is so 
often employed in connection with predictive 
utterances in other parts of the Scriptures. The 
essential facts contained in the prediction of 
Joel were, that a great era of salvation was to 
be opened to the race; that this era was to be 
distinguished by the universal gift of the Spirit 
in full measure, and that the presence of the 
Spirit was to be specially marked by an ex- 
traordinary manifestation of prophetic power, 
bestowed, not upon a select few, but upon the 
whole body of believers. The ancient "seer" 
was to reappear, not in his old-time mystic char- 
acter, but as a vigorous, zealous, and intelligent 
youth, and the night vision, once the special 
privilege of a limited class, was to become a 
common visitation of mature believers, whether 
as a means of personal comfort, or to qualify 
them for a more effective service. No mention 
was made by the prophet of an era of miracles, 
of the wonderful gift of tongues, of the dead 
restored to life, of the lame man leaping as a 
hart, or of invisible hands opening prison-doors ; 
but instead of these or other wonders we have 
the simple prediction that the disciples of Jesus 
Christ when anointed with the Spirit, should be 
endowed with the gift of prophecy. Nor does 



Prophets and Prophecy 129 

it seem less remarkable that the prophet said 
nothing about the spiritual graces which were 
to descend in a mighty shower at Pentecost. 
No mention was made of the enlarged measure 
of love, peace, joy, hope, and other hallowed 
fruits of the Spirit, which were to become the 
heritage of believers from the Pentecostal morn- 
ing on through all the following ages. All else 
was passed by, while prophecy was made the 
distinctive gift of the coming era. Surely a sub- 
ject to which such prominence was assigned by 
the Holy Spirit, is worthy of our careful and 
prayerful consideration. 

It is greatly to be regretted that the word 
"prophecy," like several other Scriptural terms 
of vital importance, has by the force of popular 
usage, gradually acquired a greatly-restricted 
meaning since the era of King James. When 
the authorized version of the Bible was first 
published, the words prophecy and preach were 
so nearly alike in popular English usage that 
they could to a great extent be used inter- 
changeably. In illustration of this fact, the late 
Dean Stanley called attention to the fact that 
Jeremy Taylor's book on "The Liberty of 
Prophesying," might, if issued in the present 
generation, have been entitled, "The Right to 
Preach ;" but a great change has come over the 

9 



i 3 o 



The Church of Pentecost 



word since Jeremy Taylor's day. Slowly, and 
for the most part imperceptibly, many suc'h 
terms have taken on new meanings, and it thus 
happens that the word prophet is applied al- 
most exclusively to one who predicts future 
events. The natural result has been that 
among English-speaking people the full force 
of the Scriptural term is not generally under- 
stood, and the value of this priceless gift of 
Pentecost is in consequence not fully appreci- 
ated. A predictive element is certainly found 
in nearly all prophecy, but this is often incidental 
to the main message, and seldom occupies the 
leading place in a given discourse. 

A very apt and in the main accurate defini- 
tion of the term prophecy has been proposed by 
substituting forth-telling for foretelling. The 
prophet, in the Scriptural sense of the word, is 
one who is empowered both by authority and 
by the special aid of the Holy Spirit, to declare 
the mind of God, and hence one who speaks 
forth or proclaims truths which are put into 
his heart by the direct agency of the Holy Spirit. 
Hence another definition has been proposed for 
which a basis is found, at least in part, in the 
meaning of the original word, Which makes a 
prophet one who speaks for another ; but in both 
of these cases the essential meaning is the same. 



Prophets and Prophecy 131 

The prophet is very much more than one who 
merely predicts future events. He speaks for 
God. He not only receives authority to speak, 
but the message is given him by the Holy 
Spirit. The precise words which he is to utter 
may not be, and as a matter of fact seldom are, 
put upon his lips, but he is moved by the Holy 
Spirit to speak, his heart is warmed, and his 
mind illuminated, in such measure as may be 
necessary to enable him effectively to deliver the 
message which God sends through him. The 
inspiration of the prophet is in most respects 
very much like that of the writers of the in- 
spired Scriptures. In former times, and to a 
slight extent in our own day, it was a common 
belief that the entire Bible had been written by 
the direct dictation of the Holy Spirit. This is 
the universal idea of inspiration among Moham- 
medans at the present day, and was received by 
them, no doubt, by the ancient Jews. Moham- 
med professed to receive the Koran in chapters 
directly from heaven, where it had been pre- 
pared before his birth, and hence every word and 
every letter of the book has from the first been 
regarded by pious Mohammedans as a direct 
product of divine inspiration. It need hardly be 
said that the Christian doctrine of inspiration is 
very different. So far from being a mere ste- 



132 The Church of Pentecost 

nographer, taking down notes as dictated to 
him, the inspired Christian writer uses his own 
style, selects his own words, and has recourse 
to his own stores of knowledge as far as the 
occasion and subject may demand. The Holy 
Spirit quickens his mental powers, guides his 
thoughts, "moves" him to treat of certain 
topics, and, as far as may be necessary, imparts 
to him new truths, and reveals more or less 
clearly the outlines of future events. 

The inspiration of the prophet differs very 
little, if at all, from this, unless it be in the scope 
of the subjects which the Spirit suggests, and the 
measure of the inspiration which is imparted. If 
the inspired writer is more than a stenographer, 
the inspired speaker is more than a phonograph. 
"The spirits of the prophets are subject to the 
prophets," or, in other words, the prophet re- 
tains command of his own mental and vocal 
powers, and acts as a responsible moral agent 
both in what he says and in what he omits to 
say. He may be directed by the Spirit to go 
to a given place, to speak to a certain person or 
persons, and to deliver a specific message, but 
in obeying the instructions given to him he uses 
the powers with which God has intrusted him, 
and depends on special help to the extent which 
he may find it needful. 



Prophets and Prophecy 133 

The gift of prophecy dates back to the earliest 
pages in the history of the race, but like nearly 
all of the more precious of God's gifts, it had a 
gradual development, and only reached a full 
manifestation at the ushering in of the Pente- 
costal era. The writer, or perhaps the editor, 
of the First Book of Samuel, tells us that a man 
who in his day was called a prophet, had at an 
earlier period been called a "seer." (1 Sam. ix, 
9.) It is maintained by many eminent writers, 
and the theory seems extremely probable, that 
the most ancient form of prophecy was that of 
the vision, in which the prophet saw depicted 
before his mental eye imagery or scenes of vari- 
ous kinds, which he described and probably in- 
terpreted to the people. We have a striking 
illustration of this kind of prophecy in the case 
of Balaam, and it is evident from the brief story 
of his remarkable visions that the people of that 
far-off era were quite familiar with men of his 
class. Such men are found in India to-day, and 
have great power among the common people. 
Some are arrant impostors, a few are hypnotic 
subjects, while a very few seem to be trance- 
mediums, and when in a trance state "prophesy" 
at a rate which profoundly impresses those who 
see and hear them. In every age, from Balaam 
to Malachi, the false prophet seems to have been 



134 The Church of Pentecost 

everywhere present as a rival, and usually as an 
opponent, of God's true messengers; but we 
need not for a moment wonder at this, when we 
remember that every great truth is sure to be 
counterfeited, and that nearly every great reform 
movement has given rise to false movements, 
professing loyal aims, but animated by an evil 
spirit. When we remember that false Messiahs 
appeared in such numbers in the era of the true 
Messiah, as to call for special words of warning, 
and to become a source of serious public danger, 
we need not wonder that the office and work of 
a prophet has in all ages been subject to base 
counterfeiting. 

The seer gradually gave way to the prophet, 
a man of like character, but whose gifts were 
more directly bestowed, who employed less 
imagery in his discourses, and who became more 
of a teacher and a minister in all that pertained 
to religious duties. Without avowing it, and 
without having public attention called to the 
fact, the Hebrew prophets at a very early period 
began to assume some of the functions of the 
Levitical priests. They became public teachers, 
and as they dealt freely with both public and 
private duties and obligations, they almost in- 
variably acquired political influence; but it is a 
very notable fact that they very rarely attempted 



Prophets and Prophecy 135 

to use the power which they possessed for pur- 
poses of personal promotion. The Hebrews re- 
garded Samuel as the chief founder of the order, 
although they never lost sight of the fact' that 
Moses had not only been a great statesman 
and military leader, but also, in the most lofty 
sense of the word, a prophet. The greatest of 
the prophets, however, was undoubtedly Elijah, 
a man of extraordinary character, who impressed 
himself profoundly upon his age, and during 
whose ministry so many prophets were raised 
up that schools for their training were estab- 
lished, and they became a recognized class 
throughout the land. The prophet became a 
man of power, a man of both religious and po- 
litical influence, and the prophetic gift became 
highly prized both as a mark of God's favor to 
the individual, and as an agency for working out 
God's just purposes among men. The prophet 
was one highly favored of God, and his gift was 
valued above rubies. 

The golden age of the Hebrew prophets had 
in a measure passed away, and the prophetic gift 
had become comparatively rare, when the 
prophet Joel made his appearance as God's 
spokesman among the people. No doubt those 
wiho knew of the marvelous days of Elijah and 
Elisha often thought with deep regret of that 



136 The Church of Pentecost 

era of power, and wondered if such a time would 
ever come back to earth again. A great public 
affliction had fallen upon the land, and it was not 
a time in which to indulge hopes of brighter and 
better days ; but the man of God, as the prophets 
of that era were always called, received a mes- 
sage of hope and comfort for the people. God 
would remember his 'heritage again. The corn 
and the wine and the oil were to be restored 
again; the fig-tree and the vine were to yield 
their strength ; the early and the latter rain were 
to come in their appointed times, and plenty 
was to be restored to the land; but more than 
these temporal blessings, above and beyond 
all temporal blessings, a time was to come 
when the prophetic gift would be given with 
amazing freedom to men and women of all 
classes. The sons and the daughters in the fam- 
ily, and the very servants in the household, were 
to become partakers of the gift which had made 
Elijah tower like an archangel* among men, and 
Elisha move like a crowned king among princes. 
In some form, to some extent, all classes and all 
ages were to share in the wonderful gift. In the 
coming age of blessing the prophetic unction 
was to be bestowed upon the whole household 
of God's faithful servants. 

We are all familiar with the story of the ful- 



Prophets and Prophecy 137 

fillment of this prediction, but as we read the 
brief account of that memorable event, it does 
not at first occur to us that the anointed disciples 
all became prophets of Jehovah. Peter reminds 
us, perhaps, of Elijah, but the rest of the group 
have undergone little apparent change; and yet 
each and every one of the 'hundred and twenty 
has been crowned with a tongue of flame, the 
outward token of the fact that each one has been 
endowed with a divine energy in speech which 
will give the words which flow from 'his lips a 
power to move human hearts and minds such as 
he has never known before. But this power is 
invisible, and the prophetic gift has not made 
these disciples in outward appearance or manner 
resemble the Hebrew prophets of a bygone age. 
They have not been made counterparts of Elijah 
and Elisha, because they have received a higher 
commission, and are henceforth to engage in a 
holier ministry than those great heroes ever 
knew. They are to prophesy, and hence in a 
good and true sense are to become prophets; 
but their sphere had been assigned to them, and 
their ministry is to be one of great simplicity, 
patterned after that of their Master rather than 
that of Elijah. 

While each disciple received a tongue of 
flame, we must remember that the measure of 



138 The Church of Pentecost 

prophetic power granted to each one was, and 
in every case ever is, determined by the will of 
Him who distributes all spiritual gifts according 
to his own infallible wisdom. Hence among the 
many who received the gift, a special dispensa- 
tion was granted to a few, who soon became 
known as persons who prophesied. These were 
Christian prophets in a special sense, and they 
soon became recognized as such. The refer- 
ences in Luke's history to Agabus and tine four 
daughters of Philip, the evangelist, afford us a 
familiar illustration of the manner in which this 
gift became recognized at an early period in the 
Church. 

"If the New Testament prophets were, and 
are, more highly favored than Elijah, and yet 
work no miracles, foretell no events, and add 
nothing to Divine revelation, in what," it may 
be asked, "does their superiority consist?" 

The prophet in the Church of Pentecost was 
able to proclaim a risen Christ, a privilege of 
which Elijah never dreamed. The great dis- 
tinctive feature of New Testament prophecy is 
to bear an inspired testimony to the living Christ. 
Just before his ascension our Savior had an- 
nounced to his disciples that they were shortly 
to receive an anointing of power, and that their 
future mission among men was to be that of 



Prophets and Prophecy 139 

bearing testimony concerning him. They were 
acquainted with his teaching, and they were wit- 
nesses to 'the fact that he had risen from the 
dead, and was now a living and exalted Savior. 
They were not only to proclaim this fact, but to 
bear testimony concerning ! him in the broadest 
sense of the word, — testimony concerning his 
character, his work, his mission among men in 
every era, his risen power, his works of love and 
mercy still performed all over the world, his 
hallowed companionship, his mighty salvation, 
his lordship over all the kingdoms of men, — 
these and an endless list of similar things were 
to constitute the points of testimony which the 
anointed disciples were to offer to the world. 
We can thus well understand how it came to 
pass that Peter, as soon as he had received his 
tongue of living flame, began to bear witness to 
the resurrection, exaltation, and saving power 
of his lately-crucified Master. The risen Christ 
was his theme, and Christ has been the theme 
since that eventful morning of every believer 
who lias received the gift of prophecy. We can 
thus understand the full meaning of the lan- 
guage of the seer of Patmos — that prince of 
New Testament prophets— that ''the testimony 
of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Few pas- 
sages of Scripture have been more misunder- 



1 40 The Church of Pentecost 

stood. Many- have been the sermons preached 
from these words as a text, in which scores upon 
scores of Messianic predictions have been 
quoted, and their fulfillment narrated, by men 
who saw no meaning in the words, save that the 
ancient prophets had made predictions concern- 
ing Christ the most prominent feature of their 
discourses. But this is to give a very narrow 
meaning to a word which covers a very wide 
field. 

It should never be forgotten that the tongue 
of flame was given to each disciple in the little 
assembly of Pentecost. No one was omitted. 
"It sat upon each of them." In some sense, and 
in some degree, however restricted in measure, 
every believer was made a partaker of the Divine 
gift. It is evident that all were not made par- 
takers of all the gifts which were so freely dis- 
tributed among the assembly, but the sweeping 
terms in which the gift of prophecy was spoken 
of certainly seems to imply that all received a 
measure of that priceless endowment. Certainly 
all needed it; for all were to become witnesses 
for Christ. Perhaps in the case of many the new 
gift meant little more than the power to bear 
testimony to the fact that Jesus Christ was alive 
from the dead; that he had power on earth to 
forgive sins; and that he lives to save for ever- 



Prophets and Prophecy 141 

more. In every age this power is the great want 
of the Christian Church. The testimony of 
Jesus, not merely from the lips of authorized 
preachers, but borne by the great multitude of 
believers, is the real source of aggressive strength 
to the Universal Church. An anointed Church 
will never be a dumb Church. The Spirit which 
came upon the Master and moved him to speak 
the gracious words in the synagogue of Nazareth, 
moves every disciple, no matter how humble, 
to bear a like testimony. No matter how lowly 
the person, whether son or daughter, whether 
servant or handmaiden, the prophetic unction 
of Pentecost will put a joyous testimony in the 
heart and on the lips, and enable the witness to 
testify bravely and "with great power," as at 
first in the Church of Pentecost. 

It is very possible that the reader may be 
ready to ask if the predictive element in prophecy 
is to be cast aside as of secondary importance, 
and possibly the thought may come to some 
that the old-time promises, especially concern- 
ing Christ, are in a measure discredited by the 
above view. No such thought has for a mo- 
ment entered the mind of the writer. So far 
from it, the broader view of prophecy includes 
prediction, and excludes no element which was 
found in prophecy at the beginning. The grave 



142 The Church of Pentecost 

mistake into which the popular misuse of the 
words prophet and prophecy has led most 
writers of the Bible, including commentators, is 
that of limiting the functions of the prophet 
simply to that of a foreteller of events. Instead 
of taking away any part of his functions, the 
object of these lines is to enlarge them, by bring- 
ing back to the words above quoted the full 
meaning which they bore in the days of King 
James. 

We often hear of students of prophecy, but in 
most cases it will be found, on examination, that 
such students devote themselves almost exclu- 
sively to Uhe examination of the predictive por- 
tions of the Biblical prophecies, and the attempts 
to show how these predictions have been ful- 
filled, or are in the course of fulfillment. But 
surely this is not the proper way to study the 
broad subject of prophecy. It is not a mysteri- 
ous endowment of a few chosen men of the an- 
cient world, but a living power in the world of 
to-day. It is a gift of the Holy Spirit bestowed 
upon believers throughout the entire Christian 
dispensation, and can best be studied as it u\ 
found in actual exercise among living disciples 
of Jesus Christ. Thousands of men and women 
now living enjoy and exercise the same gift 
which was known as prophecy in the Church of 



Prophets and Prophecy 143 

Pentecost, and it is among- such Christian dis- 
ciples that a student of prophecy should make 
his first researches. Is there such a gift? Is 
there any element of prophecy in any of the 
preaching which we hear at the present day? Is 
there any predictive element in it? Is there any 
element of inspiration in any modern writers? 
Did the Holy Spirit move or inspire Charles 
Wesley to write his immortal hymn, 

" Jesus, Lover of my soul? " 

Or Toplady to write, 

" Rock of ages, cleft for me?" 

These are questions of intense interest, and can 
not fail to afford the sincere student abundant 
food for interesting inquiry and devout thought. 
As to a predictive element in modern proph- 
ecy, I wish to say at once, without the slightest 
hesitation, that I believe implicitly that the Holy 
Spirit does in our day, at times and within limi- 
tations, inspire certain disciples to see clearly 
and portray accurately the outline of coming 
events. We have only to pay close attention to 
a speaker who is manifestly aided by the Holy 
Spirit, to notice how frequently he is led to speak 
with the utmost confidence of the outcome of 
questions still pending. He does not often, it is 



144 The Church of Pentecost 

true, venture to portray great political events, 
such as the overturning of thrones, and revolu- 
tions among the nations, for the very good rea- 
son that God does not send him to deliver such 
messages; but when great moral questions are 
at issue, the voice of the Christian prophet is 
sure to be heard in the land. It is said that 
Abraham Lincoln, in his younger days, at a 
time when slavery was seldom denounced in 
public in the United States, was profoundly im- 
pressed by a sermon preached by Dr. Peter 
Akers, in which the overthrow of slavery was 
predicted in vivid and most positive terms. On 
his way home from the meeting where the ser- 
mon had been preached, Mr. Lincoln spoke of 
the deep impression made on him by the sermon, 
and added that he had received a remarkable 
conviction that in some way he would in after 
years have an important share in bringing about 
this great consummation. Here was a case 
where a prediction was appropriate, and where 
prophecy would have been incomplete without 
it, and wthile such notable illustrations may be 
rare, yet there is no Scriptural or other reason 
why they should not occur as frequently as in 
ancient times. 

In the more ordinary walks of life, and among 
the Christian workers of average grade, illustra- 



Prophets and Prophecy 145 

tions of the fulfillment of such predictions are 
much more common than is usually supposed. 
There can be no question about the fact that 
such predictions are made; the only doubt is as 
to their fulfillment. If personal testimony may 
be admitted here, I would say that my own ob- 
servation, carried on through a number of years, 
has cleared my mind of all doubt on the subject. 
In one case I knew a missionary to write a letter 
giving an outline of a certain course of events 
which involved a party in an unknown quarter 
of the globe, and movements which required the 
co-operation of scores of individuals living in 
different places. The letter was soon forgotten, 
but after a few years it came to light again, when 
it was noted with surprise that the whole plan 
suggested had become history. Why should we 
not expect that God, who in ancient days in- 
spired prophets to advocate the interests of his 
work among men, would in our day put it into 
the hearts of some of his anointed servants to do 
the same? 

This phase of the general subject brings be- 
fore us the broader question of the prophetic 
element in preaching ; but the discussion of this 
most important question must be reserved for 
another chapter. 

In the meantime, before passing to the dis- 
10 



146 The Church of Pentecost 

cussion of special phases of the general subject, 
I can hardly refrain from again expressing sur- 
prise at the narrow lines within which students 
of prophecy have usually pursued their investi- 
gations. In nine cases out of ten it is quietly 
assumed that prophecy, in the Scriptural sense 
of the word, has vanished from the earth, while, 
as a matter of fact, it is still in operation among 
devout Christians all over the world, and is a 
greater power among men to-day than it has 
been in any past age. If one would understand 
tJhe spirit or methods of God's anointed prophets, 
let him by all means begin his investigations 
among the living rather than the dead. Do 
those who prophesy to-day always understand 
the full import of their words? Do they ever 
hold up a mirror which reflects more than one 
obect? Do they ever see two or more horizons 
blended into one? Do they ever fall into errors 
of fact not affecting the import of the special 
message which God sends through them? Are 
any of their number ever conscious that the 
afflatus of the Holy Spirit is upon them? and, 
on the other hand, do they at other times deliver 
their message with great heaviness of spirit, and 
without any special manifestation of Divine aid, 
unless it be a conviction that God has sent them, 
and would have them speak and not hold their 



Prophets and Prophecy 147 

peace? The study of present-day prophecy 
along such lines as these questions suggest, 
would probably lead to clearer views of ancient 
prophecy than could be found by any possible 
amount of research among the records of the 
dead. 



X 

PROPHET AND PREACHER . 

At first sight it seems singular that among 
all the gifts with which the Church of Pentecost 
was so richly endowed, no mention is made of 
either preaching or prayer. It might, perhaps, 
be suggested that the gift of faith — for faith is 
not only one of the graces, but also one of the 
gifts which came to believers with the baptism 
of Pentecost — was intended to include prayer; 
but this can hardly have been intended. Prayer 
includes faith, but it can hardly be said that faith 
includes prayer. It would seem more probable 
that both were embraced in the more inclusive 
gift of prophecy. When Peter delivered his 
memorable sermon to the astonished people after 
the effusion of the Spirit, he really, and in the 
best sense of the word, prophesied; and when 
the whole body of disciples, on hearing the re- 
port of the apostles after their return from arrest, 
broke out into joyous adoration and prayer, they 
also "prayed in the spirit," and were spiritually 
aided precisely as believers were when prophesy- 
ing. The prophet and the preacher, as they were 

148 



Prophet and Preacher 149 

known in the Church of Pentecost, were in many 
aspects of their work one and the same, and it is 
extremely doubtful if any one would have been 
inducted into the office of preacher during the 
first generation of Christians unless he had been 
known among his brethren as a man on w i hom 
the prophetic unction rested. And yet the two 
are not the same. The preacher will often have 
a wider sphere and be intrusted with a greater 
variety of duties than he whose life is wholly de- 
voted to the exercise of his prophetic gift. The 
prophet is his spiritual kinsman,' and the kinship 
should be apparent in many things, but especially 
in the exercise of the prophetic gift. 

A preacher, like a prophet, should always be a 
man sent of God. He should have a specific call, 
and should go among his fellow-men as a mes- 
senger of Jesus Christ. He should be able to 
speak. The propriety of reading sermons is not 
in question here, but even if it be granted that 
the preacher may read a written sermon, he 
should none the less be able to speak to his fel- 
low-men. Jesus could not have read his Sermon 
on the Mount, and muc'h less his wonderful ser- 
mon to the woman of Samaria ; and the modern 
preacher will often, if he follow God's leading, 
be put in places where a manuscript would be 
useless. It may readily be granted that the spirit 



150 The Church of Pentecost 

of prophecy, now as in ancient days, may rest 
upon a writer, and the written sermon may prove 
a message from God; but the preacher who so 
far loses his power of speech as to be unable to 
speak to his fellow-men will very soon lose what- 
ever measure of prophetic unction the Holy 
Spirit may have bestowed upon him. 

A messenger should always have a message to 
deliver, and a public speaker who appears before 
an audience in the character of a messenger of 
God, and yet who is not conscious of having any 
message intrusted to him, occupies an utterly 
false position. Like the ancient prophets of 
Israel, the preacher-prophet of the present dis- 
pensation who is truly called and sent of God, is 
a man commissioned from on high to reprove 
and warn the wicked, to proclaim God's promises 
to the penitent and the obedient, to offer words of 
comfort to the sorrowing, to give light to those 
in darkness, to guide the weak and wandering, 
and, in short, to speak as if in God's stead to peo- 
ple of every class and of all ages. Nor is such a 
messenger of God to be silenced in reference to 
public questions. He must be a man of courage, 
and one who can, if need be, rebuke sin in high 
places. He is a watchman also, and should stand 
at his post like a faithful sentry, ever ready to 
sound an alarm when moral danger in any form 



Prophet and Preacher 151 

threatens the people among whom he lives and 
labors.' In all these points- he is a true successor 
to God's anointed prophets of ancient times, but 
in some respects he is their superior. He has a 
gospel to proclaim, the fullness of which they 
never knew. He knows more of God, more of 
the spiritual life, more of Divine truth, and more 
of the immortality which Christ brought to light 
than Elijah could have understood, or Isaiah 
could have found language to describe. A man 
occupying such a position is among the highly- 
favored of earth, but his responsibility is corre- 
spondingly great. If he runs before he is sent, 
if he answers before he is called, or if, having a 
call, he fails to deliver his message, or to go to 
a modern Nineveh, he can only do so at the 
cost of becoming one of the most unfaithful of 
men. 

The preacher who shares the gift of the 
prophet possesses a marvelous advantage in 
being able to bring into play what might be 
called the discovering power of prophecy. The 
Word of God, when spoken by lips which have 
been touched by the living coal, becomes like a 
mirror which reflects to those to whom it is pre- 
sented, not only their character, but often many 
things which they have supposed were hidden 
from the world. This peculiarity of the pro- 



152 The Church of Pentecost 

phetic gift is very strikingly illustrated in Paul's 
First Epistle to the Corinthians (xiv, 24, 25): 
"But if all prophesy, and there comes in one that 
believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced 
of all, he is judged of all : and thus are the secrets 
of his heart made manifest ; and so falling down 
on his face he will worship God, and report that 
God is among you of a truth." There is nothing 
fanciful, or in the slightest degree figurative in 
this language. Illustrations of this power are 
occurring every day. Anointed preachers of the 
Word often become quite familiar with the fact 
that when preaching to strangers they are apt to 
be accused of indulging in personalities. The 
friends of those who are startled by what they 
regard as personal references, are frequently ac- 
cused of having acted as tale-bearers, and no pro- 
testations avail to clear them from the charge — 
"Somebody must have told the preacher; no one 
else knew, and you must have been the one who 
revealed the facts to him." Accusations of this 
kind are very common in connection with the 
work of some preachers. 

Dr. Finney, an evangelist of the last gener- 
ation, and a man of singular power, was once 
invited to preach in a certain neighborhood by a 
stranger of Whom he knew nothing. He asked 
no questions about the place or the people to 



Prophet and Preacher 153 

whom he was to preach. When he reached the 
place of worship, he found the whole community 
present, and was strangely led to select for his 
text the story of Lot and his escape from Sodom. 
When he announced his subject he noticed that 
the people seemed annoyed, and as he proceeded 
to describe the condition of a town which con- 
tained only one good man, the look of annoy- 
ance changed to one of anger and menace. He 
kept on, and before he closed a spirit of alarm 
and deep contrition fell upon the people, and 
many of them gave their hearts to God and found 
peace in believing. After the meeting, Dr. Fin- 
ney learned, to his surprise, that the people of 
that settlement had been utterly godless ; that the 
man who had come to invite him was the only 
God-fearing man among them, and that in that 
region the settlement had become known as 
Sodom, while the one godly man had become 
popularly known by the name of Lot. The 
stranger accurately described the situation, al- 
though absolutely ignorant of the facts, and the 
truthfulness of his description served first to ex- 
asperate, and next to awaken, a convicted people. 
Page after page might be filled with similar illus- 
trations of this discovering power in Christian 
prophecy, and it need hardly be added that the 
possession of such a gift is a source of marvelous 



154 The Church of Pentecost 

power to one who speaks in the name of Jesus 
Christ. 

It is but too probable that the most conspicu- 
ous element of weakness in the preaching of the 
present day is found in the absence of the pro- 
phetic element. Men are often seen in the pulpit 
who have no idea of a call from God, and who do 
not dream of such a thing as being sent with a 
message which they are to deliver with all fidelity. 
A supposed successor of Elijah is seen in the 
pulpit at the hour of service reading a criticism 
on one of the poets ; another discourses on soci- 
ology, without understanding more than the al- 
phabet of his subject; a third dabbles in politics; 
a fourth reads a dry essay on some speculative 
topic; a fifth expounds with elaborate proofs 
some Scriptural doctrine concerning which no 
one of his hearers entertains any doubt ; a sixth 
repeats a series of moral platitudes, while others 
try to imitate the arts of rhetoricians, actors, or 
even buffoons. Comparatively few speak with 
the voice or moral tone of an anointed prophet. 
Instead of inspiring public opinion, they follow 
it. In times of public excitement it is sometimes 
humiliating to see how eagerly the occupants of 
many pulpits seem to compete for favor by fol- 
lowing where they ought to lead, and applauding 
when applause is cheap, or possibly wrong. The 



Prophet and Preacher 155 

feeble and often foolish topics which are some- 
times found among the pulpit notices in Satur- 
day evening papers, are humiliating, if not posi- 
tively wicked. Even the false prophets of Israel 
could hardly have been expected so far to forget 
their profession or their personal dignity as to 
condescend to some of the expedients to which 
some modern preachers resort in the desperate 
hope of securing a deceptive and worthless popu- 
larity. No man is worthy of the name of 
preacher who does not select his pulpit themes 
under what he believes to be the guidance of the 
Holy Spirit, and men who are led by such con- 
viction will never forget what is due to their own 
personal dignity, to say nothing of the reverence 
due to such a ministry. 

The help of the Holy Spirit in prayer is two- 
fold. In the first place the Spirit helps our in- 
firmities, such as infirmities of knowledge, of 
judgment, or of faith. We do not rightly under- 
stand our own wants. We are not able to tell 
how our w r ants can be best supplied, and we are 
as dependent for help from God in such matters 
as little children are for the directing care of their 
parents. But the Spirit does more than direct 
our thoughts and kindle holy thoughts within us 
when we pray. He blends his own prayer with 
ours, making intercession not only for, but with 



1 56 The Church of Pentecost 

us, when we pray. The same Spirit who anoints 
disciples to preach, anoints them to pray ; and as 
with the preacher so with the suppliant in prayer, 
a special anointing is given in some cases not 
differing essentially from the prophetic unction. 
Christians who are thus anointed are often met 
with, and in some cases are persons of extraor- 
dinary spiritual power. At times God gives a 
special blessing to efforts made by Christian men 
and women who depend almost wholly upon 
prayer in their efforts to awake slumbering souls 
and lead them to Christ. Years ago a "praying 
band" of laymen became widely known in New 
York and adjacent places for their efforts in 
meetings where prayer was used almost exclu- 
sively as the weapon both of offense and defense. 
The great revival of 1857 in the United States, 
which a year or two later reached Ireland and 
Scotland, differed from similar movements 
chiefly in the fact that it began and was sustained, 
not by preachers and preaching, but by laymen 
and prayer. 

Some years ago, in a small country village, a 
few Christian disciples felt moved to put forth 
special efforts for a revival, but they could not 
obtain tihe services of a preacher to lead them, 
and to preach to them at the proposed meeting. 
They used every possible effort to get help, but 



Prophet and Preacher 157 

failed, and when the time fixed for the special 
services.arrived they were sorely perplexed. No 
one of their number had, even in a moderate de- 
gree, the gift of speech, nor were they gifted in 
song. In utter helplessness they decided to meet 
together in the evenings for prayer, and to their 
own utter amazement their simple prayers were 
attended by greater power, and produced greater 
and more lasting results, than any preaching 
which had ever been heard in the village. As 
with these disciples, so has it happened with 
many others. Anointed prayer is, as from the 
beginning God intended it should be, an agency 
of mighty power Which no Church can neglect 
without peril to its best spiritual interests. 

Sacred song, like prayer, is not only what is 
called a "means of grace," but is used by the 
Holy Spirit as a medium through which deep and 
lasting impressions are made upon human hearts 
and minds. In the very brief history of the 
Church of Pentecost which has come down to us, 
we find no reference to singing, but on the eve of 
the new era we read of Jesus and his disciples 
singing a hymn, and in the very earliest days of 
Christianity the disciples were accustomed to use 
psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs in their re- 
ligious services. With very few exceptions all 
spiritually-minded Christians, from Pentecost 



158 The Church of Pentecost 

down to the present day, have in this matter fol- 
lowed the example of the pioneers of early Chris- 
tianity. As a matter of fact, an outpouring of 
the Spirit upon believers in any part of the world 
in our own day may be expected invariably to 
cause an outburst of song, usually of a joyous 
character, and also in most cases varied, as in 
primitive times, so as to include psalms, hymns, 
and spiritual songs. Explain it as we may, the 
fact is patent to the world that the Holy Spirit 
not only inspires and blesses this kind of singing, 
but that it is attended by a peculiar spiritual 
power, so nearly akin to that which marks the 
anointing of the Spirit in preaching and prayer 
as hardly to be distinguishable from it. In other 
words, it is subject to the prophetic afflatus, and 
must be considered in connection with God's 
prophecy in the broadest sense of the term. 

When Bishop Taylor was preaching as an 
evangelist among the Zulus of South Africa, 
nearly thirty years ago, he stood in the pulpit on 
a certain occasion and sang a popular hymn 
known as the "Eden Above.'' A Zulu inter- 
preter who stood beside him had been requested 
to give the people at the close of each stanza a 
brief outline of its meaning, but instead of doing 
this he turned the words into Zulu verse, and 
actually sang each stanza to the proper tune, and 



Prophet and Preacher 159 

in doing so made a profound impression upon the 
people. When asked afterward how he had man- 
aged to make a metrical translation, and to sing 
it without a moment's pause or hesitation, he 
expressed surprise, and did not seem to be aware 
that he had either turned the words into Zulu 
verse or sung them when thus arranged. This 
very singular phenomenon may be viewed in 
various ways, but the notable thing about it was 
the fact that God wonderfully blessed him, and 
this is the notable element in all spiritual sing- 
ing. Nothing is more clearly established by the 
experience of thousands of Christian workers 
than that God mightily uses the voice of singing, 
with or without instrumental aids, provided the 
singing is "in the Spirit," and used as a means 
of glorifying God. 

But just here dangers confront us. The power 
of solo singing, first introduced chiefly by the 
late Philip 'Phillips, and afterwards popularized 
throughout the world by Mr. Sankey, came to 
many as a new discovery, and was eagerly 
adopted in city and in country. But very soon 
a sad deterioration became apparent. Shallow 
sentiment began to take the place of noble 
thought and hallowed feeling. The "trundle- 
bed" and other sentimental relics were intro- 
duced into Christian worship, while the robust 



160 The Church of Pentecost 

songs of the best Christian poets were thrust 
aside to make way for feeble, if not meaningless, 
rhymes about "bright rafters" and "golden here- 
afters," the use of which in Christian Churches 
is little short of an abomination. Nor does the 
evil end here. From coarse doggerel it is often 
only a step to refined platitudes, or perhaps un- 
meaning words put together for the sake of the 
music. Christian worship ceases to be Christian 
when it fails to keep within the range of the 
understanding, and this is the character of too 
much of the music heard in Christian sanctuaries. 
Is it ever right to spend any part of the precious 
hour of public worship listening to a violin solo? 
And if not right in the case of any one instru- 
ment, is it right in the case of any? Is mere 
music worship? Has a single instance ever been 
known or heard of in which God vouchsafed a 
blessing upon such music in connection with 
divine worship? 

The Christian preacher may be expeoted to 
share with his fellow mortals, in at least an aver- 
age measure, the various infirmities to which we 
are all subject ; but if he would wear a prophet's 
mantle, he must c'herish two special virtues at 
every cost. In tlhe first place, he must be true. 
It is not enough that the man who occupies a 
pulpit should speak the truth ; he must be a true 



Prophet and Preacher 161 

man. The lips of mortals are the index of the 
heart, and no man's heart is any more pure than 
his lips. God desires truth, not only upon* the 
lips, but "in the inward parts." The most 
seraphic of the ancient prophets was not fully 
prepared for his ministry until a seraph's hand 
had touched his unclean lips with a hallowed coal 
from the altar of heaven; and the lips of the 
modern prophet must be touched by a coal from 
■the same altar. Both heart and lips must be true. 
The Holy Spirit will not intrust a sacred truth 
or a divine message to a man of unclean lips 
whose heart is not true. 

In like manner the preacher-prophet must be 
a man of courage. If God speaks through him, 
the message will sometimes be of such a char- 
acter as to cause more frowns than smiles, and 
unless the speaker is a man of courage, he will 
not be able to deliver his message with the fidel- 
ity which his position demands. It does not by 
any means follow that all those who are called 
to this responsible service are constitutionally 
men of exceptional courage. So far from it, 
courage would seem to be one of the special gifts 
of the anointing Spirit, who not only sends forth 
the messenger, but prepares him for his difficult 
task. Peter does not appear to have been orig- 
inally a man of much courage, either physical or 

IT 



1 62 The Church of Pentecost 

moral; but when on the morning of Pentecost 
the Spirit came upon him, he stood before the 
assembled multitude and spoke like a man in- 
capable of fear, and as often as he appeared in 
public animated by the same Spirit, his courage 
maintained the same lofty character. The 
anointing of the Spirit in our own day can in like 
manner make timid men brave, and thus enable 
them to be true to their calling, and a preacher 
who is not willing to be intrusted with a lofty 
courage — a courage which will dare all things — 
need not pray for the anointing which makes the 
occupant of a pulpit both a preacher and a 
prophet. 

When Moses was leading the Hebrews 
through the wilderness, a very peculiar incident 
in connection with the exercise of the prophetic 
gift occurred. At a critical point in the history 
of the people the Holy Spirit came upon the 
seventy elders, and clothed them with the same 
prophetic power which before had been the gift 
of Moses alone, and they at once began to exer- 
cise their new gift, "and did not cease." It so 
happened, however, that two of their number, 
named Eldad and Medad, were without in the 
camp; but the Spirit came upon them as upon 
the others, and they also prophesied. This at 
once created alarm and opposition, and the 



Prophet and Preacher 163 

youthful and impatient Joshua hastened to beg 
Moses to put a stop to the two irregulars. It did 
not occur to Joshua, as it does not occur to the 
many in our day who are always ready to repeat 
his error, that in finding fault with the two men 
he was really finding fault with the Spirit, who 
was inspiring them. They were certainly not to 
blame for the fact that the Spirit of prophecy 
had been given them, and Moses was true to his 
own noble character when he assured Joshua 
that, so far from forbidding them, he would to 
God that all the people might receive the Spirit* 
in like measure, and "become prophets," even 
as had happened to these two. 

The jealousy, or fear, or distrust, which many 
occupants of pulpits manifest towards those who 
begin to prophesy outside the modern tabernacle 
inclosures, is perfectly natural and not always 
culpable, but the only question involved in such 
cases is one of facts. Does God, who never al- 
lows his prerogative to be questioned, move the 
irregular men, or not? If he sees that the men in 
the pulpits have lost the spirit of their calling, or 
that they are too few for their gigantic task, or if 
they are hedged about so as to be inaccessible to 
the people, he will not hesitate, and in the past 
has never hesitated, to raise up a new generation 
of men and women fitted for the work which 



164 The Church of Pentecost 

needs to be done. When Mr. Wesley heard that 
some of his lay followers were prophesying in the 
open air, he was startled, and resolved to put a 
stop to the irregularity ; but he soon saw that the 
hand of God was with the irregular preachers, 
and having seen the grace of God he rejoiced 
thereat, and in the course of time became the 
leader of a great host of such men. But in due 
time the lay preachers were found in pulpits, and 
a generation or two later their successors were 
often found repeating the error of those who had 
tried to suppress the preachers of Wesley's clay. 
It is to be hoped that intelligent Christians are at 
last beginning to understand that the successors 
of Eldad and Medad can never be suppressed, 
and will never again be found in a minority. The 
world is without the tabernacle, and will not 
come in. The prophets and preachers must go 
forth to them, and in the history of the two 
irregulars in the camp we may see an intimation 
of the order which was to be observed in the 
Christian Era, when prophecy was to become a 
common inheritance of multitudes of believers. 
The vexed question of the right or propriety 
of women exercising the prophetic gift calls for 
only a brief word here. The prophet Joel cer- 
tainly predicted that the daughters should proph- 
esy; the daughters of Philip the evangelist did 



Prophet and Preacher 165 

prophesy; and from the discussion of the ques- 
tion in the First Epistle to the Corinthians it is 
made abundantly evident that women were ac- 
customed to exercise this gift, and that the 
apostle not only tolerated, but directly sanc- 
tioned the public exercise of both prophesying 
and praying on the part of Christian women. 
The question is happily settling itself, and it 
seems 'highly probable that before many years it 
will cease to be a subject of serious controversy. 



XI 
PASTORS AND TEACHERS 

"And he gave some pastors and teachers." — Ep.h. iv, 16. 

" Warning every man and teaching every man." — Col. i, 28. 

"Take heed therefore unto yourself, and to all the flock over 
which the Holy Ghost has made you overseers, to feed the 
Church of God."— Acts xx, 28. 

" He said unto him the third time, . . . Feed my sheep." 
—John xxi, 17. 

The two offices of pastor and teacher have so 
much in common, and are so linked together in 
the New Testament, that it seems appropriate to 
speak of the two corresponding gifts in the same 
connection. The two terms, pastor and teacher, 
are at times apparently used interchangeably by 
New Testament writers, and yet in the main they 
represent two different kinds of work, each of 
which calls for peculiar qualifications. Both 
terms are of frequent occurrence in the Old 
Testament, and hence the Christians of Pente- 
cost, 'as well as the early Hebrew Christians gen- 
erally, did not need to have the duties of either 
office defined, but they simply applied on a 
broader and more enlightened basis the policy 
with which they had been familiar as Jews, to 
their new conditions as Christians. 

166 



Pastors and Teachers 167 

Let us first speak of the term pastor. The 
Christian pastor was practically a spiritual shep- 
herd, one whose duty it was to guide, protect, 
feed, and care for the members of the flock in- 
trusted to his care. Without any exception, all 
new disciples need this kind of care as individ- 
uals, while the flock as a whole needs wise and 
faithful shepherding, day by day and year by 
year. The most cultured men of society, men of 
strong character and accustomed to leadership, 
are but babes in knowledge and experience when 
they first receive Christ as a personal Savior, and 
they need to be led tenderly day by day, and fed 
with the pure milk of the Divine Word. All 
classes need kindly oversight such as this, and 
our Savior made special provision for it. His 
solemn injunction to Peter, thrice repeated, was 
really spoken to every one, in every age, to whom 
is intrusted the care of immortal souls. Grievous 
wolves prowl around our modern Churches as 
their ancestors did in New Testament times. 
The wolf nature is not changed with the lapse of 
the centuries. The foes of the Christian flock 
come to kill and to destroy, not simply to debate 
and criticise. Those who by any art or device 
lead a Christian disciple away from Christ, really 
destroy that soul. Such an act means this, and 
can never mean less than this, and the Christian 



1 68 The Church of Pentecost 

pastor should be a man who can appreciate such 
a peril, and who will spare no effort to protect 
the most feeble lamb. 

A Christian pastor should know his flock, and 
identify himself with them in every possible way. 
He should know them as individuals, and he 
should know them in their family relationships. 
He should be much among them, his face should 
be a familiar object, and his very footstep should 
be a familiar sound on every threshold. In no 
other way can he know his people, and, what is 
equally important, in no other way can he be 
known by them. He should know tfheir personal 
anxieties, and be able to enter freely into their 
joys and sorrows. Above all, he should know 
the spiritual standing of each one, and be able to 
decide wisely and act promptly in times of special 
personal emergency. 

It is to be feared that a fashion is growing up 
among men who aspire to pulpit prominence, to 
stipulate before accepting the pastorate, so called, 
of a given Church, that they shall not be required 
to go among the people, or, in other words, that 
they shall not be expected to perform pastoral 
duties. There may be, no doubt, exceptional 
circumstances whidh would justify such an agree- 
ment, but such circumstances should be excep- 
tional indeed. A man who can not do the proper 



Pastors and Teachers 169 

work of a pastor should, as a general rule, seek 
his legitimate work in some other calling. He 
may deliver able pulpit addresses while holding 
himself aloof from his people, but he can not 
minister to their wants, can not give them the 
preaching they need, and, in short, can not serve 
them as a spiritual guide in any proper sense 
whatever. 

On the other hand, the preacher who goes 
among his people, who lives in touch with them, 
who learns how to enter into their joys and sor- 
rows, their hopes and fears, will keep himself in 
toudh with humanity at large, and his preaching 
will have a freshness and power w'hic'h can come 
from no other source. A man who is not per- 
sonally brought into contact with the great 
throbbing heart of the living humanity around 
him, can not be a Christian preacher in the best 
sense of the word. Successful preacihers have 
been known to say that they usually find their 
"best texts" — those which bring them nearest 
the hearts of their hearers — while out among 
their people, on the street, or in private homes. 

The neglect of personal duty by too many of 
our modern pastors is positively startling. Very 
recently a faithful man, on assuming dharge of a 
new congregation, found it necessary to remove 
more than one thousand names from t)he roll of 



170 The Church of Pentecost 

membership, because they represented persons of 
whom no trace could be found. Whether these 
unknown persons were living or dead, whether 
on earth or in heaven, or elsewhere, no one had 
taken the pains to ascertain. How the pastor or 
pastors who had allowed such a record to stand 
in the Church register could have obeyed the 
demand to "teach every man," it would be diffi- 
cult to determine. 

"But can not pastoral work be done by proxy? 
Can not an assistant be employed to do it? or, 
better still, can not one or more deaconesses be 
secured for this purpose?" 

An assistant or a deaconess can do much, but 
the point must never be overlooked that the man 
who is responsible both for the preaching and 
the general care of the flock, needs a personal 
share in the work quite as much as the work 
needs him. He can not do successful work in 
any other way. The most faithful subordinates 
can not wholly relieve him of this duty. They 
may save his Church from failure or serious loss, 
but they can not save the man himself from be- 
coming a failure. Pulpit popularity is an ex- 
tremely doubtful evidence of successful work. 
Not a few Churches have been known to dwindle 
away in a few years into mere skeletons of or- 
ganizations, while all the time encouraged by the 



Pastors and Teachers 171 

sight of overflowing congregations on Sunday. 
The members are deceived, and in most cases the 
preacher himself is deceived, by the mere fact 
that people come out in crowds to hear the 
preaching. But what good can result if it is all 
the time apparent that they only hear him, but 
never really give heed to his word? Between 
hearing and heeding there is in this case simply 
the difference between success and blank failure. 
If now we turn our attention to the office and 
work of the New Testament teacher, we should 
first of all divest our minds of the idea that the 
terms teacher and teaching are to be employed in 
the modern sense of those words. For instance, 
the teaching in question is not such as is usually 
given in Sunday-school, nor is it a course of cate- 
chetical instruction of any kind. It may include 
the instruction of children, but is by no means 
to be confined to the little ones. It has only an 
indirect reference to theological science, and it 
rarely concerns itself with questions of ortho- 
doxy. It is based upon a recognition of the fact 
that men and women of all ages and grades of 
culture undergo a radical change of character 
when they become united by faith to the Lord 
Jesus Christ, and that one of the first marked 
features of this change is the reception of a 
teachable disposition. They become "as little 



172 The Church of Pentecost 

children," and, like little children, they have not 
only received a teachable disposition, but have 
also inherited, like all children, an eager desire 
to learn all about the new way into which their 
feet have been guided. New questions are con- 
stantly on their lips, and new longings spring up 
in their hearts, and the one who can best deal 
with those questions, and at the same time wisely 
and gently lead inquirers into green pastures and 
beside still waters, will succeed in fulfilling at 
once the double work of teacher and pastor. 

Aquila and Priscilla, the devoted and enlight- 
ened husband and wife who taught the gifted 
Apollos ".the way of God more perfectly," were 
noble examples of New Testament teachers, and 
many such are to be found in our best Christian 
circles at the present time. No class of workers 
is more valuable, and we can not pray too im- 
portunately that their number may be greatly 
increased. In the Church of Pentecost the apos- 
tles themselves did not shrink from this kind of 
work, and evidently they found enough of it to 
employ their best energies. Of the first converts 
it is written that they "continued steadfastly in 
the apostles' teaching" (R. V.), and we can easily 
imagine how many and how varied were their 
questions, and how eager the inquirers must have 
been. 



Pastors and Teachers 173 

The lessons which the young, whether in years 
or in experience, need to learn, can never be 
reduced to system, or taught according to recog- 
nized methods. Each disciple has his own diffi- 
culties, and the lessons which suit the case of one 
person, may be wholly unsuited to that of his 
brother or nearest friend. Hence teaching must 
be personal, but never can be formulated. This 
suggests at once the necessity for a great host of 
teachers. New disciples must be placed under 
the watchful care of those who can help them in 
their difficulties, and ever be ready to expound 
the way of God to them more perfectly. To 
succeed in a service of this kind the teacher must 
possess both skill and tact of a high order, and 
must himself have sat often and long at the Mas- 
ter's feet, and learned deep spiritual lessons of 
him who is meek and lowly in heart. The meek 
are apt to make good teachers, probably because 
such persons are themselves teachable. 

The-teacher should have a good knowledge of 
character. This can be acquired to some extent 
by observation and study, but to many it seems 
to be almost intuitive. He should further have a 
wide and accurate knowledge of the many phases 
which spiritual experiences assume. He should, 
for instance, be able to distinguish between emo- 
tional feeling and the deep and genuine exer- 



1 74 The Church of Pentecost 

cises which attend the operations of the Spirit in 
a believer's heart. He should have a thorough 
knowledge of the nature of temptation, and of 
the many phases which it assumes, especially in 
the case of young and inexperienced disciples. 
He should, in short, be a modern Great-heart, 
one who can teach all the lessons which need to 
be learned along the pilgrim way from earth to 
heaven, and not only teach and interpret, but also 
guide in times of doubt, and defend in times of 
danger. 

The teaching gift is by no means confined to a 
single class of workers. It is needed in every 
sphere of Christian labor, and is worthy to be 
coveted by all. It is 'an element of power in the 
pulpit, it is invaluable to the evangelist, is essen- 
tial to the pastor, and is very often exercised 
with rare power by persons who occupy no spe- 
cial position of any kind in the Christian com- 
munity. It is not restricted to sex or condition 
in life. Some of the most successful spiritual 
teachers to be found on earth are men and 
women living in mud huts, without culture, with- 
out more than the most elementary knowledge, 
without social influence even among the poorest, 
and yet possessing a knowledge of God, and an 
accurate acquaintance with the thoughts, feel- 
ings, hopes, and fears of the poor creatures 



Pastors and Teachers 175* 

around them, which enables them to lead lives 
of rare usefulness among a people who but for 
them would have no earthly helper whatever. 

This reference to the humble poor living 
among the surging millions of the heathen world, 
suggests the magnitude of the demand for 
anointed teachers which exists in the Church of 
the present day. Jesus left behind him a com- 
mission to his servants to "disciple" all the na- 
tions of earth, and lest this command might be 
construed into a mere perfunctory order to ad- 
minister baptism to converts, it was expressly 
added that those baptized should be carefully 
taught in respect to all the duties and privileges 
which belong to them as disciples of Christ. 
Experience, sometimes of a painful kind, has 
convinced many missionaries that without this 
teaching, baptism in most cases becomes to the 
ignorant masses in non-Christian lands, not only 
an empty rite, but in many cases a positive injury. 
In fact, Christian baptism is based on the suppo- 
sition that in every case it is to be followed by 
careful instruction. Tihe two duties go together, 
and. the one without the other is necessarily in- 
complete. 

If this be true, wlhat countless hosts of 
anointed teachers will be needed before our 
world can be really, and in any proper sense, 



176 The Church of Pentecost 

converted to God and made a Christian world. 
Millions upon millions of men and women, 
chosen of God and anointed for this special serv- 
ice, must be found and enlisted for this stupen- 
dous task. It is idle to talk or think of ordained 
ministers for such an emergency, or to propose 
to remit the task to Sunday-school teachers, or 
to select bands of special Church workers, or to 
rely upon any other limited agency such as has 
thus far appeared in any part of the Christian 
world. One resource, and only one, is available 
for such a crisis, and that is a general anointing 
of whole Churches, such as came upon each of 
the assembled brethren and sisters on the ever- 
memorable Pentecostal morning. When the re- 
markable exception becomes the general rule, 
when an anointed Church keeps equal pace with 
a repenting and believing world, then, and only 
then, may we hope to see sudh a scene of uni- 
versal teaching as the emergency of a penitent 
world must call for. 

In many, very many, modern Churches there 
is a painful lack of the teaching gift, both in the 
pulpit and in the pew. If an awakened and 
deeply anxious person were to drop in at some 
ordinary service, and ask pastor and people to 
direct him into the way of life, it might be easy 
enough to quote a passage of Scripture to tlhe 



Pastors and Teachers 177 

stranger ; but the deep questionings of the human 
heart are not satisfied by a formal quotation, even 
from the Bible. The case would have to be dealt 
with intelligently, according to the peculiar con- 
ditions involved, and in 'hundreds of Churches 
neither the man in the pulpit nor the men in the 
pews would have ever met with an incident of 
the kind, nor would they know what to say or do. 
The most marked feature of the situation would 
probably be the awkward embarrassment which 
it would occasion; but whatever course events 
might take, the painful outcome would be a 
lamentable inability to deal with tihe case. 

If it be objected that such an emergency, or, in 
plainer words, such a breach of Church propriety, 
is most unlikely to occur, it may be said in reply 
that the writer has witnessed an incident of this 
very kind, the only difference being that a dozen 
men eagerly responded to the request made by 
the inquirer. Another more striking illustration 
might be cited of a prominent citizen in a Western 
city who rose in his place at a Sunday morning 
service, walked down the aisle, and, facing about, 
asked the people to pray for him, and help him to 
find the way of salvation. But why need we seek 
for exceptional cases of this kind? In the way of 
precedent we need seek no further than Pente- 
cost itself. After Peter's extraordinary sermon, the 



178 The Church of Pentecost 

startled and awakened people did not appeal to 
the preacher in particular, but to the whole body 
of believers. "Men and brethren, what shall we 
do?" was the cry of the awakened throng. It is 
impossible that the whole body of converts, three 
thousand in number, could have been dealt with 
by Peter alone. Their spontaneous inquiry, and all 
the circumstances which surrounded them, make 
it practically certain that the whole hundred and 
twenty anointed disciples spent a busy day in 
teaching eager people who pressed around them, 
and in personally applying the great truths which 
the spokesman of the company had proclaimed in 
his address. 

It is in this direct, practical, and personal kind 
of work, the dealing of mind with mind and heart 
with heart, that the Church of the present day is 
conspicuously weak. A thousand or ten thou- 
sand exceptions do not disprove the assertion or 
materially lessen its gravity. We should be ever 
grateful for every trace of this Divine presence 
which can be found in the modern Church ; but 
surely it is but just to ask how far our best con- 
gregations have advanced toward the standard 
set up in the Church of Pentecost. Where is the 
congregation of which it can be said that every 
member is able to teach transgressors the way of 
life? Where is the modern assembly, large or 



Pastors and Teachers 179 

small, in which every one present is prepared to 
enter upon such a scene as occurred at the in- 
auguration of the first Christian Churdi? 

It was said of an officer in the American Civil 
War that nothing so disgusted him as to find an 
incompetent surgeon blundering in his work 
among 'the wounded on the battle-field. But 
how much better is the spiritual surgeon, who 
has never bound up a wounded heart in his life, 
who knows little or nothing of the wounds which 
sin makes in the soul, wiho has no intelligible 
idea of how he is 'to go to work, or what his 
duties are, amid the perils of the great moral 
battle-fields of his generation? If any man on 
earth needs to have thorough knowledge and re- 
fined skill in the exercise of his profession, it is 
the man who works in the name of Jesus Christ, 
who deals with immortal interests, and who co- 
operates with the mighty forces and undeviating 
laws of the spiritual* realm. 

It is often said of young persons of both sexes 
going out as medical missionaries to foreign 
lands, that they should be required to spend at 
least a year or two in hospital practice before 
going abroad. A thorough and accurate knowl- 
edge of medicine is not sufficient for such per- 
sons. Tihey need the advantages of personal 
experience in actual medical practice, and with- 



180 The Church of Pentecost 

out this they will labor at a great disadvantage 
when living and working alone in distant lands. 
A year or two spent in a large hospital will give 
them opportunities for seeing the actual treat- 
ment of patients suffering from all manner of 
diseases, and in after life they will find the lessons 
learned in this way of the utmost practical value. 
Is not a practical training, corresponding to 
this hospital training, needed by our modern 
graduates from theological schools? It is not 
enough to learn how to preach, or how to acquire 
skill in the management of a Church ; the knowl- 
edge and skill Which is above all value to a young 
minister is that which will enable him to deal 
faithfully and successfully with those vital ques- 
tions on which depend tihe highest interests of 
the individual, both in this world and in that 
which is to come. Practice in preadhing is often 
provided for the young student, but this is clearly 
and glaringly insufficient. The training of all 
Christian workers, not excepting preachers, 
should be practical in the fullest sense of the 
word, and the man w'ho stands in the pulpit 
should be able to act as leader to all who are as- 
sociated with him as laborers in the common 
vineyard. 



xn 

THE APOSTLE AND HIS SUCCESSORS 

"And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples ; and 
of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles." — 
I,UKE vi, 6. 

"Ye are of the household of God; and are built upon the 
foundation of the apostles and prophets." — Ephesians ii, 19, 20. 

"And he gave some, apostles. "—Ephesians iv, ii. 

In t'he minds of many intelligent Christians 
the word "apostle" stands merely as a title be- 
longing to the 'twelve favored men who were 
ohosen by our Savior as his immediate associ- 
ates, and who in a special sense were to be his 
witnesses after his earthly ministry should be fin- 
ished. In the minds of others the word stands 
not only as the title of the twelve cho>sen associ- 
ates of our Lord, but as in an important sense 
pertaining to their official successors down to the 
present day. In the New Testament, however, 
we find the word used in a wider and much more 
practical sense than either of these distinctions 
would imply. As was pointed out in a previous 
chapter, the apostolic gift was distinctly recog- 
nized as among the endowments of Pentecost, 

and we find n'o more reason to regard this gift 
181 



1 82 . The Church of Pentecost 

as transient, or as confined to twelve persons 
only, than for assuming that the prophets and 
teachers of the New Testament era were the first 
and last representatives of their order. Nor do 
we find any shadow of reason to assume that t'he 
rich spiritual gift of the original Pentecost was 
ever to give place to an ecclesiastical office, 
carrying with it no spiritual power, and appar- 
ently, in a vast majority of cases, no spiritual 
grace. 

It was perhaps but natural that the bereaved 
eleven should at an early day take steps to fill the 
vacancy caused by the defection and death of 
Judas ; but if the Master had intended that a suc- 
cessor should be chosen, he would no doubt have 
made the selection himself, either before his 
death, or between his resurrection and ascension. 
The lot fell upon Matthias ; and he took his place 
among the apostles ; but here his name disappears 
from history. When Peter preached he seems to 
have been one of the eleven who stood around 
him, and in another instance we read of certain 
actions of the twelve ; but the position of Matthias 
seems to have been merely formal and official. 
The office and work of the apostolate, however, 
was not to be confined to these twelve persons. 
A new and fuller meaning was to be put into the 
Word by the calling and endowment with apos- 



The Apostle and His Successors 183 

tolic gifts of one who had never been chosen of 
men for his illustrious office. In due time Paul 
appeared upon the stage of action in that ex- 
traordinary era, "an apostle ; not of men, neither 
by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the 
Father," wiho speedily vindicated his claim to his 
high office by showing "all the signs of an apos- 
tle." In other words, God, who had called him 
to this special ministry, was with him every- 
where, and gave him such a measure of success, 
and clothed his words with such wisdom and 
power, that he was abundantly able to maintain 
his position in the face of all manner of hostile 
opposition. He became an apostle of Jesus 
Christ in t'he best and fullest sense of the word, 
and thus in the most practical way put an end 
to the notion that the office was limited to twelve 
persons. 

The idea that all apostolic functions have been 
formally transmitted from generation to gener- 
ation through a line of official successors, and 
, that certain men in certain Churches are tihus 
made the true successors of the original twelve 
apostles, is so unsupported by facts, not to say 
contradicted by facts, that it is one of the 
strangest of marvels that intelligent men and 
women in our day can be persuaded to give it 
serious consideration, even for a single hour. 



184 The Church of Pentecost 

The decisive appeal of the greatest of apostles 
holds true in every age. Are "the signs of an 
apostle" found in these modern claimants, or are 
they wanting? All the authorities in Christen- 
dom can not make a man an apostle unless God 
puts his seal upon the individual ; but when this 
seal is affixed, the signs of an apostle will not be 
wanting. As a matter of fact, 'however, the 
sibadowy claim which is set up for many high 
officials at the present day is unsupported by any 
single fact which would have had any weight 
among the members of the Church of Pentecost. 
First of all, such claimants usually begin by dis- 
owning whole 'hosts of Christian brethren, and in 
the name of unity erect a Chinese wall of exclu- 
sivism against all comers. In the next place, 
with rare exceptions, they ignore the Scriptural 
test of apostolic gifts, as well as apostolic deeds. 
If they really possess any gift pertaining to in- 
heritors of so high a calling, it ought certainly to 
be manifested in some way. As 'has been said in 
another chapter concerning the illumination of 
the inspired Word, the question is one of facts, 
and in this practical age such questions are more 
and more subjected to this supreme test. What 
power, what gift, w'hat "sign," do these men who 
lay claim to so high a spiritual lineage possess 
above their brethren? 



The Apostle and His Successors 185 

When Jesus selected his twelve disciples, and 
gave them the title of apostles, he no doubt did 
so for several reasons. First of all, he needed 
their personal assistance, and wished to have 
them in close personal association with 'himself. 
It has from time immemorial been the Oriental 
custom for religious teachers thus to associate 
with themselves a few selected and trusted dis- 
ciples. Next, the testimony of these men would 
be needed at a later day; and, further, the fhen 
themselves would be needed as founders and as 
administrators- of the Church which was to 'be 
formed after the ascension. In selecting and in- 
structing these men our Savior was thus making 
provision for the urgent wants of coming years. 
He could foresee, as others could not, that, at no 
distant day, not only Judea, but all the Eastern 
world, would be dotted over with Christian 
churches, and for the work of organizing, indoc- 
trinating, and administering the affairs of these 
congregations, these twelve chosen men, and 
others of like spirit, would be needed. The daily 
instruction which these men bad received must 
'have been invaluable; but it would not have 
sufficed had it not been for the anointing of 
Pentecost, an anointing which fully qualified 
each and every disciple for the special work to 
which the Holy Spirit assigned him. Hence the 



1 86 The Church of Pentecost 

same Spirit which came upon 'the helpers, the 
teachers, and the other classes of workers, de- 
scended upon the apostles, sealed them anew for 
their office and work, and fully prepared them for 
the unknown tasks which lay before them. The 
apostle thenceforth takes his permanent place in 
the Church of Christ, and is reckoned with the 
prophets as himself one of the gifts of theascend- 
ing Savior to his militant Church. 

The lapse of years has not lessened the need 
of apostles after the New Testament pattern ; but, 
on the other hand, 'has greatly increased it. The 
ancient Roman Empire was not equal in popula- 
tion to some modern mission-fields, and the open 
doors now set before the Church of Christ are 
such as no Christian of the first century could 
'have anticipated, even in imagination. If ever 
the apostle of Pentecost was needed, he is called 
for to-day. The hour is one of supreme oppor- 
tunity, and every class of workers represented in 
the Church of Penteco'st will be required by the 
Universal Church of the twentieth century. 
Conspicuous among these workers must be the 
apostle. Already he is called for in a thousand 
fields, and these fields are daily growing wider, 
while still others are coming into view. 

If these views are correct; if the apostle is a 
permanent character in a spiritual Church — and 



The Apostle and His Successors 187 

if he will be more and more needed in the com- 
ing century — what manner of man ought the 
modern apostle to be? What practical duties 
should be expected from him? What should be 
his sphere of labor? Should he have successors? 
And should these in every age be like himself, 
not only in character, but in the duties assigned 
to them? Is a modern Church without the apos- 
tolic gift to that extent defective, and ill prepared 
for aggressive and successful Christian effort? 

In Mark's account of the call of the twelve, it 
is said that "He ordained twelve that they should 
be with him." The first apostles certainly en- 
joyed a supreme privilege in the fact that they 
had been chosen to be with their Master, and that 
they constantly enjoyed this privilege. The 
modern apostle must know what it is to share the 
same companionship. He must daily walk in 
hallowed association with the Master who has 
called him, and in whose name he goes about 
among his fellow-men. He must be a holy man, 
and so constantly share the fellowship of his 
Lord, and so walk in his counsel, that all who 
know him will instinctively perceive the Divine 
relationship which exists between the disciple 
and his Master. 

Next, the apostle is one sent. When the title 
was first given to the twelve by our Savior, it was 



1 88 The Church of Pentecost 

no doubt with reference to their future life-work 
rather than their immediate duty. In one nota- 
ble passage, Christ himself is called ''The Apos- 
tle and High Priest of our profession" (Hebrews 
iv, 14), and this application of the title is quickly 
understood w'hen we remember the words of 
Jesus in his farewell prayer with his disciples, 
"As thou has sent me into the world, even so 
have I also sent them into the world." (Jo'hn 
xvii, 18.) The blessed Savior had indeed been 
made heaven's apostle to mankind, and while it 
is true that every disciple is sent out into the 
world that he may in some way help his Master, 
yet to the one chosen to be an apostle, to bear 
this responsibility in a special sense, to be in- 
trusted with a special mission, the word has a 
depth of meaning which but few Christians can 
understand. The man who ventures to think 
that Christ may have chosen him to be an apos- 
tle, must first of all, and before anything else is 
considered, settle the question of his commission. 
Has he been sent? Can he go forth on his mis- 
sion as Christ came forth into this world? Can 
he leave all, give up all, and, on the other hand, 
can he take up all, carry the burdens, endure the 
hardships, and tread among the thorns where 
the path of duty will lead him? If he can, it will 
be well with 'him ; but if not, he need not aspire 



The Apostle and His Successors 189 

to the apostolaite, even in the most restricted 
sense of the word. 

The apostle is a pioneer. He is not sent to 
take charge of well-organized Churches, or to 
reap in well-tilled fields, but rather to go into the 
highways and hedges of the world. Jesus did not 
come into a righteous world, but to a race of 
perishing sinners. The apostle of every age goes 
forth as a pioneer. He may possibly find his 
work in what are called Christian lands; but if 
so, it is because he understands that in lands 
where the true Light snineth in purity and splen- 
dor, there is still darkness, deep, dense, and wide- 
spread, which comprehendeth it not. The whole 
world is full of opportunities for the pioneer, and 
happy is the Christian disciple who is sent by the 
Lord and Master of us all to trace a pathway 
across some desert, or hew a way through some 
forest, or venture across some trackless sea, in 
order to gain access to souls in 'helpless and 
hopeless bondage. 

The apostle is an evangelist. As has been re- 
marked in a previous chapter, it often happens 
that the same individual is made the recipient of 
a rich endowment of spiritual gifts, and, as might 
have been expected, the apostle w'ho goes forth 
as a pioneer must needs have the evangelistic gift 
as well as the apostolic, and, it might be added, 



190 The Church of Pentecost 

the prophetic gift as well. The messenger who is 
sent forth among strangers must be properly 
accredited, and the apostle who would speak in 
the name of Him by whom he is sent, must in 
the very nature of the case be gifted with the 
peculiar power by which the Holy Spirit makes 
the Word effectual. An apostle who is not 
anointed to preach, who can not deliver in per- 
son the message which God sends to the people, 
must inevitably fail to carry conviction to those 
who hear the Word at his lips. He is not a man 
who simply discharges official functions, but 
must be a man of the people, a man who lives 
and moves among his fellow-men, and who 
speaks in a tone which men can neither mis- 
understand nor disregard. 

The apostle is a layer of foundations. In this 
respect 'he is more than an evangelist. Philip as 
an evangelist opened the way for Peter and John 
at Samaria, and the two apostles proceeded to 
put down foundations and organize the work on 
a permanent basis. Or, to use a more recent 
illustration, George Whitefield was an evangelist 
who did not possess the gift of organization, 
while John Wesley not only did the work of an 
evangelist, but put down stable foundations, and 
organized the work on an enduring basis. It is 
not to be supposed that 'the one man was better 



The Apostle and His Successors 191 

than the either, or that he was a more faithful 
worker, but merely that one possessed a gift 
which the other did not. The apostle, in every 
age, must be an organizer. He must assume 
charge of the work which springs up under his 
hand, and since 'organization is a law of life, he 
can not provide for the best interests of the 
Churches which 'he founds without providing 
them with the organization suited to the peculiar 
condition of the people. The great Apostle to 
the Gentiles accepted it as a part of his mission 
among men to lay enduring foundations, on 
Which to build enduring spiritual structures in 
his Master's name, and to his Master's glory. In 
doing this he illustrated the highest qualities of 
Christian workmanship. Work that abides is the 
work which is really valuable in every land and 
in every age. 

The apostle is an administrator. In the very 
nature of the case he becomes a leader to the 
converts who gather around him, and, whether 
consciously or not, he will inevitably begin to 
exercise a certain measure of authority over 
them. It is as natural that he should do so, as it 
is proper and judicious. In the Church, as in the 
family and the State, there must be government, 
and where there is government there must be 
authority. At the outset this authority may not 



192 The Church of Pentecost 

be very accurately defined, which adds to the 
delicacy of the stranger's position; but if he is 
wise — and the anointed apostle must be assumed 
to have a share of wisdom — he will be able to ad- 
minister the affairs of the Church, or, it may be, 
of a group of Churches, with a fair measure of 
success. In any case the work of administration 
may be expected to form a very important part 
of his duties, and in many a field has the modern 
successor of the first apostle in Gentile lands been 
reminded of that great man's plaintive reference 
to "that which comes upon me daily, the care of 
all the Churches." .( 2 Cor. xi, 28.) 

It sometimes, but not always, happens that the 
apostle devotes ; his life to the field to which he is 
sent; but when he quits his post, whether by 
death or by being sent to another field, it by no 
means follows that 'he is to have a successor of 
like Character and authority. The modern Elijah 
seldom finds an Elisha to take up his mantle and 
carry on the work which he lays down. On the 
other hand, his work as a' pioneer and as an or- 
ganizer is of such a nature that often no place is 
left for a successor. His responsibilities, too, may 
have become too varied and too burdensome to 
be carried longer by a single individual, and hence 
other men come to the front, and the work of the 
recent apostle is shared by them in such measure 



The Apostle and His Successors 193 

and in such ways as the providence of God and 
the wisdom of the Churdh may indicate. Paul, 
the great exemplar of the apostles of every age, 
left no successor behind him when called home 
from the field. No man in that age could have 
taken up his mantle, and it was no doub't better 
for all the interests of early Christianity that more 
. permanent arrangements should have been made 
for the administration of the affairs of the 
Churches. In our age and in every age a similar 
state of things may be expected to prevail. The 
apostle does not ordinarily give place to a suc- 
cessor, but to many successors, although it rarely 
happens that any of these will share in full meas- 
ure the apostolic gifts. These successors may 
share the spirit which animated the apostle whose 
achievements they inherit, and may prove them- 
selves worthy of the responsibility which is placed 
upon them; but whether prophets, pastors, or 
teachers, they come short of the peculiar endow- 
ment which in Pentecostal measure constitutes 
a Christian disciple an apostle of Jesus Christ. 

"But as a matter of fact," it may be asked, 
"have we any apostles, in the New Testament 
sense of that word, living in the world to-day? 
Have there been any such during the century 
now closing? Or, indeed, have there been any 
during the Protestant era? Is not the apostle of 
13 



194 The Church of Pentecost 

whom you speak an ideal character only, or at 
best a remote possibility ?" 

Most assuredly the Christian apostle has lived 
within the Protestant era, and lives to-day. Mar- 
tin Luther had very many of the elements of the 
apostle in his character, and illustrated both the 
spirit and the work of an apostle in his career. 
John Knox has been called the "apostle of Scot- 
land" with perfect truthfulness. David Brainerd 
has been called the apostle of tlh'e (American) 
Indians, and was such as truly as Paul was an 
apostle to the Gentiles of his generation. It is 
very true that Brainerd's field was a narrow one ; 
but the gifts and calling of an apostle are not 
limited to wide fields and vast populations. John 
Wesley was an apostle in calling, in labors, and 
in the spirit which animated ! him. William Carey 
was an apostle, as was Christian Frederick 
Schwartz, Adoniram Judson, Thomas Coke, 
Bishop Hannington, Francis Asbury, George 
Miiller, Mackay of Uganda, and a score of other 
pioneers of the mission-field. The overshadow- 
ing fame of the great Apostle Paul has created an 
impression that only illustrious leaders of great 
movements can be classed among the apostles of 
Christ in any age. But this is a great mistake. 
Brainerd among the Indian wigwams, and the 
Moravian exiles among the ice-bound huts of 



The Apostle and His Successors 195 

Greenland, are noble examples to the contrary. 
It is not the magnitude of the task, but the genu- 
ineness of the call, which ennobles one sent forth 
in the name of Christ into strange lands or 
among strange people. 

Never before in Christian history has there 
been such a pressing demand for men of apostolic 
spirit, and having the apostolic calling, as at the 
present hour. A thousand tribes are to be 
rescued from paganism, brought to Christ, and 
transformed into Christian communities ; a hun- 
dred kingdoms are to be won for the Lord our 
King, and vast multitudes are to receive the ele- 
ments of a new spiritual and social life. Great 
spiritual empires are to be founded and built up 
in all the essentials of a vigorous Christian civil- 
ization, empires which are to become mighty 
agencies for renewing the face of the moral 
world. Nor is it in the far-off mission-fields alone 
that the apostle is needed. Our so-called Chris- 
tian lands need a mighty host of mighty men of 
God to grapple with great and growing evils with 
invincible energy and determination. Ephesus 
had one Diana ; London has a dozen, and New 
York a score. Where are the men who are to 
startle and ultimately overthrow our modern 
Dianas? Very many notable men and women 
are to be found among the Christian workers of 



196 The Church of Pentecost 

our great cities ; but may it not be that apostolic 
leadership among them is a want not yet fully 
supplied? The apostolic gift is another name for 
Christian statesmanship. Wisdom and skill in 
administration is one of the "signs" of the New 
Testament apostle. The Universal Church of 
this closing century sorely needs an order of 
statesmen equal to the emergencies of the hour. 
May God raise up and send forth such men, not 
only into distant mission-fields, but to every crit- 
ical point in the wide earth, whether in heathen 
lands, or under the shadow of Christian sanctu- 
aries in Europe and America ! 



xra 

THE FIRE UPON THE ALTAR 

When Moses, in obedience to God's com- 
mand, had set up the tabernacle in the desert with 
its altar of sacrifice in front, we read that "there 
came a fire out from before the Lord," and con- 
sumed the offerings placed upon the altar. The 
preparation had all been made by human 'hands, 
but the fire was kindled by a Divine power. 
God's part and man's part in the phenomenon 
could be distinctly perceived, and in the further 
order of the altar service the law of divine and 
human co-operation was very clearly illustrated. 
Of the sacred fire thus kindled on the altar it had 
already been written, "The fire shall ever be 
burning upon the altar; it shall never go out." 
(Lev. vi, 13.) Every priest must have under- 
stood that While God had in the first place kindled 
the sacred flame, it had become his duty to join 
his brethren in keeping it alive. The Divine om- 
nipotence which had kindled the fire could not 
be depended on to co-operate with human indo- 
lence, especially in a service of such sacred import 

as this was understood to be. 
197 



198 The Church of Pentecost 

Our ever-present moral responsibility, so far 
as it affects the maintenance of spiritual life, is 
illustrated in a very striking manner by the obli- 
gation which was laid upon those ministering 
priests to replenish the altar fires. The fire upon 
the altar, and also the seven glowing lights of 
the golden candlestick, were types of the Holy 
Spirit. The visible tongues of flame at Pentecost 
were abundantly sufficient to explain this sym- 
bolism, and to connect the type with th'e anti- 
type. God required the priests of the temple to 
guard the sacred fire with the most watchful care, 
and in like manner he requires the Christian be- 
liever, who in Christ becomes a member of a 
royal priesthood, to guard with "jealous care" 
the flame which is kindled upon the altar of his 
renewed heart. 

As a painful matter of fact, it must be con- 
fessed that among even the more spiritually- 
minded of modern Christians it is extremely 
common to hear the sad confession that the 
sacred fire which at first de-scended from heaven 
upon the altar of the heart, has in a large measure 
lost its Divine glow. The contrast in this par- 
ticular between the modern Church and that of 
Pentecost is painfully striking. Among the fa- 
vored members of that illustrious Church it 
would seem to have been an exceptional thing to 



The Fire upon the Altar 199 

find any one in whose heart this fire did not burn 
with a steady glow ; among modern Churches, on 
the other hand, it is only in exceptional cases that 
we meet those whose love to Christ is constant, 
whose communion with God is uninterrupted 
through long days and months and years, and 
whose light is like that of an unsetting sun. 
Surely there must be something defective in 
modern views of spiritual privilege, else this ex- 
traordinary contrast between the average spirit- 
ual standing of believers in the two eras would 
not be so conspicuous as it undoubtedly appears 
to be. 

This contrast is perhaps not so much owing 
to any specific wrong teaching, as to a general 
impression among Christians everywhere that 
the standard of holy living in the Church of Pen- 
tecost was abnormal; that the age was excep- 
tional; that a miraculous element entered into 
the life of the saints to an extent which is now 
unknown, and that only a favored few in our age 
can hope to approach, even in limited measure, 
the privileges of those who witnessed the inaugu- 
ration of the Christian Church and the Christian 
religion. Of course this impression is wholly a 
mistaken one, but we must recognize it clearly 
while pointing out to every inquirer a more ex- 
cellent way than that which the multitude seems 



200 The Church of Pentecost 

content to- follow. There is, and has ever been, 
but one law of the spiritual life, but one standard 
of holy living, and this is the one which was illus- 
trated in the purest era of the Christian faith. 

The mistakes which are made by those who 
earnestly desire to keep the sacred fire burning 
on the altar are manifold ; but probably the most 
frequent and persistent is that of supposing that 
the only way to replenish a waning fire is to 
invoke the descent of more fire upon the dying 
embers, whereas what is needed is not more fire, 
but more fuel. The merest child would under- 
stand this if intrusted with the ordinary duty of 
keeping a fire from going out; but intelligent 
believers seem to forget this altogether when 
watching, with perhaps the most intense solici- 
tude, the waning flame and sinking embers on 
the altar which has been reared in their hearts. 
When the sacred flame first gleamed forth from 
the awful presence of Jehovah, and kindled a fire 
on the great altar of sacrifice, it found there not 
only the body of a victim, but the fuel which was 
necessary to make a permanent fire possible, and 
thenceforth it became the duty of the priests, not 
to seek for further manifestations of this mysteri- 
ous flame, but to cherish and carefully guard the 
fire which had been kindled. Instead of being 
relieved of responsibility by the divine interpo- 



The Fire upon the Altar 201 

sition, their personal responsibility 'had been very 
greatly increased. 

As believers we all 'have an altar on which we 
are exhorted to present ourselves, not as "dead," 
like the slain animals of the Jewish service, but 
as "living" and "reasonable" and "spiritual." 
(R. V.) This exhortation is, of course, expressed 
in figurative language, but its manifest meaning 
is that each believer should make a complete and 
unreserved consecration of himself to God, and, it 
need hardly be added, that the offering once 
presented must never be taken back. The slain 
animal on the Jewish altar was utterly consumed, 
but like the bush which Moses saw in the desert 
wrapped in flame and yet unconsumed, the 
Christian thus presented on the altar of his faith 
is robed in flame, but still lives on — lives a new 
and divine life. But the condition which made a 
descent of the Spirit upon him possible is abso- 
lutely necessary to the continuance of the holy 
flame. In other words, if the complete and abid- 
ing consecration of the entire being, body, soul, 
and spirit, to God and his service is not carefully 
maintained, the fire upon the altar may certainly 
be expected either to burn low in its ashes, or go 
out altogether. 

In his Second Epistle to Timothy, the Apostle 
Paul exhorts 'his young spiritual lieutenant to 



202 The Church of Pentecost 

"stir up the gift" which was in him. The gift in 
question was no doubt the special anointing to 
preach, which had before been received through 
the Holy Spirit, but the illustration holds good 
in the case of the Holy Spirit himself, as the abid- 
ing Fire upon the altar. The fire which burns 
low soon begins to disappear among the white 
ashes, and if it is to be replenished the smolder- 
ing coals must be stirred up, the ashes removed, 
ventilation restored, and fuel added. Paul was 
a practical man as well as a great and wise 
teacher, and so instead of exhorting Timo'thy to 
pray mightily for a "fresh baptism" of the Spirit, 
instructed him how to comply with the condi- 
tions which would keep the fire upon the altar in 
a continual glow. In substance, he exhorted him 
not to trust in vanished blessings, not to be satis- 
fied with past experience, not to let his heart be- 
come clogged with cares belonging to the past, 
but to commit himself anew to God and to main- 
tain the consecration which he had once made, 
never to be recalled. 

Whatever is pleasing to God, whether in out- 
ward service or the disposition of the heart, may 
be regarded as a fitting object for presentation 
upon God's altar, and this is peculiarly true of 
anything upon which the Holy Spirit has put a 
special seal, such as prayer or the Word of God. 



The Fire upon the Altar 203 

The confession of the penitent writer of the Fifty- 
first Psalm lets in a flood of light upon this sub- 
ject : '"Tine sacrifices of God are a broken heart ; a 
broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not 
despise." A forgiven heart, even when most 
assured of God's mercy, is always pervaded with 
what might be termed a spirit of penitential love, 
and such love is worth infinitely more in God's 
sight than all burnt offerings and sacrifices. The 
heart which cherishes such a love will never be 
deserted by the Spirit. The more progress a 
true believer makes in the divine life, the more 
readily will he appreciate the spirit which 
prompted Paul in speaking of the mission of Je- 
sus to save sinners, to add 'the words, "of whom I 
am chief." The Holy Spirit loves the heart in 
which such a love finds a dwelling-place, and will 
not desert it. 

A type of piety may sometimes be seen which 
is intense and energetic, but not sweet or affec- 
tionate. Bishop Thomson once applied the term 
"sour godliness" to this very exacting kind of 
religious life, and the term is none too harsh for 
the subject. The Holy Spirit can not be ex- 
pected to dwell in full measure in the heart of 
one who is not tender and loving, or of one who 
finds pleasure, or even interest, in remarking de- 
fects in the lives of others. 



204 The Church of Pentecost 

In a very special sense prayer may be regarded 
as an effectual means of maintaining the Spirit's 
presence in the heart. A chief object of the 
Spirit's ministry is that of helping us in prayer. 
He -helps our infirmities — our infirmities of light, 
knowledge, and purpose. He blends his prayer 
with ours. Like the fragrant incense, added in 
the vision of the seer of Patmos to the prayers of 
the saints, the smoke of which ascended up be- 
fore God, so the ever-blessed Spirit breathes his 
prayers into our own, in a blessed sense inspires 
our own, and thus gives us that power in prayer 
which prevails with God. Such being the special 
ministry of the Spirit to those who pray, it need 
hardly be added that the believer who neglects 
prayer can not do otherwise than grieve the 
Spirit more and more from his heart. The dis- 
ciple who would walk in the Spirit must, abso- 
lutely must, be one Who is much in prayer with 
God. He must know what it is to< hold daily 
converse with 'his Maker, and to realize what is 
meant by the communion of the Holy Spirit. 

As in the case of prayer, so as a general rule 
it may be observed that those who walk in the 
Spirit, and who retain the constant presence of 
the Spirit in the heart, are diligent students of 
God's Word. Theories and inspiration must all 
alike give place to this most impressive fact. The 



The Fire upon the Altar 205 

Spirit does undoubtedly put vitality into the 
Word, and those who walk in the light learn to 
love the Word more and more. As remarked 
elsewhere, it does not follow that the Holy Spirit 
uses all portions of the Bible alike, or any portion 
according- to human dictation ; but the significant 
fact for us to observe is that men and women on 
the altar of whose hearts the fire is ever burning, 
may always be observed to be persons much 
given to prayer and to searching the Scriptures, 
He who would keep this sacred fire from going 
out, must constantly bring to the altar in abun- 
dant measure both the inspired promises of God 
and the prayer of faith which makes man both a 
partaker of the Divine nature, and a victor in the 
hour of spiritual wrestling with Omnipotence. 

Some minds are so constituted that it is always 
a difficult task for them to maintain an even bal- 
ance in determining the respective limits of God's 
sovereignty and man's responsibility. In one 
person's view man can do nothing ; in another's 
view he must do everything. Both of these 
extremists should be reminded that the law of 
divine and human co-operation is so compre- 
hensive, that in all that affects the practical duties 
of life the one factor seldom, if ever, excludes 
the other. With life within the heart, and with 
life in the busy outer world, the rule is the same. 



206 The Church of Pentecost 

In the individual heart and in the Church as a 
whole God co-operates with believers, and the 
invisible flame of Pentecost will surely attend 
those who either wait or work in expectation of 
the Spirit's coming, provided always, however, 
that the authority of the Spirit is not only recog- 
nized, but obeyed. If, for instance, Paul and his 
party had persisted in going into Bithynia when 
the Spirit suffered them not, we can not believe 
any token of God's presence would have followed 
them. Man may command the fire from heaven, 
it is true, but only in obedience to Divine law 
and Divine authority. 

Some twenty-five or more years ago an evan- 
gelist was blessed with extraordinary success in a 
remote mission-field, not only among Christians, 
but also among the "raw heathen." Hearing of 
his success, some missionaries in another quarter 
of the globe were moved to send for the evangel- 
ist, in the hope that he would be able to break 
the solid ranks of heathenism and open a way for 
a great work of salvation. The evangelist ac- 
cepted the call from these brethren, and came 
with a calm confidence of success. "If the right 
conditions are complied with," he said, "the Holy 
Spirit will assuredly work here as elsewhere." 
But the expected results did not follow his 
preaching among the heathen. For a time it was 



The Fire upon the Altar 207 

thought that something must be lacking in the 
conditions required ; but after many trials in dif- 
ferent places and among heathen of different 
grades of culture, and after the most careful and 
prayerful efforts had been made to see that no 
condition of success had been overlooked, it be- 
came evident to all concerned that for some 
reason they were not meeting with the success 
they had expected, or, indeed, with any success 
worth naming at all. 

This incident is mentioned as an illustration 
of many similar failures which occur from time to 
time both in the home land and in mission-fields. 
The explanation of the failure is probably, at least 
in nineteen cases out of twenty, that the supreme 
condition of a call from the Holy Spirit had been 
overlooked. In our day, as in the beginning 
of our era, there are many Bithynias into which 
the Holy Spirit does not suffer his servants to 
enter. The first supreme condition in every case 
of the kind is to spread the matter out before the 
mercy-seat of God and seek for Divine guidance. 
When the Holy Spirit gives the token, either by a 
marked providence or by an irrepressible impulse 
of the soul, or in any other way which carries 
unquestioning conviction to the hearts of those 
concerned, the messengers of God may go forth 
on their errand with absolute confidence. The 



208 The Church of Pentecost 

evangelist, like all other workers, is a co-worker 
with God. When he is assured that God is with 
him in the work, no place for failure is left so far 
as he is concerned. 

The relation of this ever-burning fire upon the 
altar of the heart to the personal 'holiness of the 
believer is direct and vital. The perfecting of 
holiness in the fear of God is laid as an obligation 
upon us all, while it is no less set before us as a 
precious privilege to which all may aspire. The 
subject, however, is one which has given rise to 
much sharp disputation, and, as often happens in 
like cases, controversy has not done much to 
clear the question of its difficulties, or to harmon- 
ize the views of those specially interested in it. 
In some cases counsel has been darkened by 
treating the subject in a metaphysical spirit; in 
others, confusion has been introduced by the 
careless use of equivocal terms. Good men, when 
investigating questions of this kind, are strangely 
prone to forget that in the realm of spirit there 
are mysteries which elude, and ever must elude, 
the search of the human mind, and hence we are 
compelled at many points to stand still and wait 
in unquestioning submission to God's will, while 
he displays his power and shows us his salvation. 
He who knows perfectly how far it is possible for 
the Ihuman heart to be made holy can surely be 



The Fire upon the Altar 209 

intrusted with the task, with the single reserva- 
tion that the supplicant in the case shall place no 
limit to the infinite love and power of the Al- 
mighty. 

A story is related of two good men who were 
once disputing on this subject, and, as 'often hap- 
pens in such cases, their discussion had seemed 
only to drive them farther apart. "I am quite 
certain," said one of them, "that I sin more times 
in a day than I have hairs upon my head. It is 
absurd to talk about being saved from all 
sin." 

"I should be sorry to hold such a view," was 
the reply. "I trust in a Savior who saves from 
all sin, botlh in heart and in life." 

"I fear you do not know your own heart; if 
you did, you would not talk in this way. The 
heart is prone to evil, always and everywhere." 

"Yes, I know that very well ; but the evil can 
be taken out of it. A plot in my garden is full of 
weeds, but they can all be pulled up and carried 
away, and not the smallest weed will remain." 

"But a new crop of weeds will immediately 
appear ; the ground is full of their seeds and their 
roots." 

"But I can burn a fire on the ground and de- 
stroy both roots and seeds." 

"That is a bad illustration, my friend ; in such 
14 



21 o The Church of Pentecost 

a case more weeds will spring up out of the ashes 
than if no fire had been burned on the ground." 

At this point a friend who had been listening 
ventured to interject a remark. "You differ, my 
brethren," he said, "concerning the possibility of 
utterly destroying the weeds in the garden plot. 
One of you thinks fire will permanently destroy 
the weeds, while the other is sure that it would 
only increase their next growth. But in one 
thing I feel certain you will both agree with me. 
We must all agree that no weeds will spring up 
in that garden plot so long as the fire is kept 
burning." 

Here is the very essence of the whole question. 
We are called unto holiness, and there is no pre- 
sumption in our venturing to respond with unre- 
served purpose to the call ; but the possibility in 
the case is simply that of guarding the sacred 
fire which God kindles upon the altar of the heart. 
Sin can not exist in the midst of this holy flame ; 
holiness can not retain its sway in the heart in 
which it is allowed to expire. 

To every Christian, therefore, the ancient in- 
junction comes with double force: "The fire shall 
ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never 
go out." 



XIV 
SHALL SEE VISIONS 

"It is not expedient, doubtless, for me to glory. I will come 
to visions and revelations of the Lord." — 2 Cor. xn, 1. 

The word vision is not a term which com- 
mends that which it represents to the general 
reader. It stands too closely related to its ad- 
jective visionary to be accepted as a word of good 
omen, and not a few readers will very possibly 
be inclined at first to shrink from accepting the 
Scriptural affirmation, that in the best sense of 
the word the vision is a permanent gift of the 
Holy Spirit, and that it is an element of abiding 
power in the experience of spiritually-minded 
believers at the present day. No intimation is 
found in either the Old or the New Testament 
that a time would ever come when this gift 
should be withdrawn, and it is abundantly evi- 
dent that it was bestowed in full measure 
throughout the apostolic era. As a New Testa- 
ment gift it has thus both prediction and prece- 
dent to sanction its claims. Like the other gifts 
which were not strictly of a miraculous character, 
it is still supported and illustrated by the testi- 
mony of vast numbers of living Christians, and 
211 



212 The Church of Pentecost 

in the light of this testimony it becomes a subject 
of intelligent inquiry and devout study. 

The spiritual gift known by the term vision is 
so closely associated with the peculiar manifesta- 
tions given through the medium of dreams that 
in some cases the two are spoken of interchange^ 
ably. Thus when we read of Paul's vision in the 
night, of a Macedonian appearing before him and 
entreating him to go to the help of his country- 
men, we can hardly doubt that the whole scene 
transpired in a dream. On other occasions the 
vision would appear in connection with a trance, 
as in the case of Peter at Joppa; but the most 
striking visions would seem to have been vouch- 
safed during waking hours, as in the case of 
Isaiah, or of Paul at the time of the "heavenly 
vision" granted him in connection with his con- 
version. Founded originally upon the manifesta- 
tions granted to the ancient seers, these visions 
after Pentecost became more spiritual, more 
varied, and very much more frequent than under 
the first dispensation. They seem to have served 
several purposes. They confirmed those on 
whom great burdens rested, as in the case of 
Paul, whose visions and revelations abounded to 
such an extent as to form a ground of appeal 
against the accusations of his many opponents. 
They served also as illustrations of God's pur- 



Shall See Visions 213 

poses, or intimations of his will, or guides to 
personal duty. They further served a good and 
gracious purpose in the case of those who needed 
guidance, and who were so situated that help 
could not be found from human teachers. As in 
the apostolic age, so in our own time, many, 
probably the majority of Christians, are often 
placed beyond the reach of human guidance or 
comfort, and the vision in some of its manifesta- 
tions is graciously used by the Holy Spirit to 
afford the peculiar help Which the troubled dis- 
ciple needs. 

The spiritual manifestations known as visions, 
at least so far as realized in the experience of 
believing Christians in the present age, may be 
said, first of all, to be illustrated in the personal 
manifestation of Christ to the inner consciousness 
of the believer. This experience, it is true, was 
familiar enough in New Testament times ; but it 
is always best to refer to the testimony of living 
persons when we can do so. Paul speaks with 
quiet confidence of the time when it "pleased the 
Father to reveal his Son" in him, and evidently 
felt assured when doing so that no one would 
either doubt the fact or challenge the statement. 
It was a fact too well known, and an experience 
with which the early believers were too familiar, 
to call for either explanation or proof. This 



214 The Church of Pentecost 

manifestation of Christ as a Divine Savior is not 
a matter of universal experience among Chris- 
tians, but is exceedingly common, especially 
among those who, in New Testament phrase, are 
"spiritually-minded." In illustration of this, let 
me introduce a brief statement from one who had 
given special attention to this subject. 

"When I first learned what it was to trust in 
Christ as a personal Savior, it seemed to me as 
if I saw afar off the Crucified One hanging upon 
the cross. This appearance very greatly helped 
my feeble faith, and from time to time, especially 
when in earnest prayer, it reappeared before my 
spiritual vision more vividly than at first. After 
some months it occurred to me that very pos- 
sibly my experience was not exceptional in this 
respect, and I ventured to mention it to several 
intimate friends, and asked if they had ever re- 
ceived a similar impression. To my surprise, 
they all assured me that there was nothing pe- 
culiar in wthat I 'had experienced, except in some 
incidental features of the manifestation. Begin- 
ning my inquiry in this way, I have since spoken 
to many persons on the subject, and in reply to 
direct questions have learned that in an immense 
majority of cases, so far as spiritually-minded 
Christians are concerned, there is a personal 
manifestation of Christ to the believer. This 



Shall See Visions 215 

manifestation is not, however, uniform by any 
means. On the contrary, it is seldom precisely 
the same in the case of even two individuals. In 
the case of persons who have but recently become 
believers, the appearance of Christ upon the cross 
is very frequent ; but in detail such manifestations 
nearly always differ. Many seem to see before 
them in outline the person of their risen Lord; 
others catch a glimpse of the glorified form hov- 
ering over them, while very many simply become 
conscious of the hallowed presence of the blessed 
Master close beside them. One eminent man, 
when questioned, said he had never even once 
had in faintest outline any representation of 
Christ to 'his spiritual vision, and yet this man 
had always been noted for his habit of addressing 
his Savior in prayer as a familiar friend, and in 
testimony had often been heard to say that he 
knew him 'better than any earthly friend.' The 
underlying fact in all these cases would seem to 
be the same." 

No one can clearly describe the vision which 
he sees with the spiritual eye, and yet all alike 
become conscious of the immediate personal 
presence of the living Christ. But while, as a 
general rule, this manifestation is veiled in a 
measure, in some cases it is overwhelmingly vivid 
and impressive. As an illustration of this kind of 



21 6 The Church of Pentecost 

vision, I may quote the following statement from 
the autobiography of the late Dr. C. G. Finney. 
"After relating the steps by which he had been 
brought to a saving trust in Christ, Dr. Finney 
says: 

"There was no fire and no light in the room ; 
nevertheless it appeared as if it were perfectly 
light. As I went in and shut the door it seemed 
as if I met the Lord Jesus Christ face to. face. It 
did not occur to me that it was wholly a mental 
state ; it seemed that I saw him as I would see any 
other man. He said nothing, but looked at me in 
such manner as to break me right down at his 
feet. I have ever since regarded this as a remark- 
able state of mind ; for it seemed to me that He 
stood before me, and I fell down at his feet and 
poured out my soul to him. I wept aloud like a 
child, and made such confession as I could with 
my choked utterance." 

It is very noteworthy that in this remarkable 
statement Dr. Finney makes no effort to describe 
the personal appearance of the Personage which 
appeared before him, beyond simply remarking 
that he saw him as he would "any other man." 
This same reticence is observed by every one 
who attempts to describe manifestations of this 
kind. It is very frequently remarked by those 
who testify to such appearances, that the Savior 



Shall See Visions 217 

of the vision appears in his humanity rather than 
with the glory of the enthroned King of all 
worlds ; but no one ever brings away from such 
scene a distinct impression of the features of the 
Personage. It was thus in the case of the the- 
ophanies of Scripture. At most, one or two 
peculiarities are described; but no outline is at- 
tempted from which a portrait could be pro- 
duced. Isaiah merely says that he saw Jehovah- 
on his throne, "high and lifted up." Daniel saw 
the "Ancient of days," whose garment was white 
as snow, and whose hair was like pure wool ; but 
no further description was attempted. John on 
Patmos saw the throne of God in heaven ; but by 
way of detail merely remarks that He that sat 
upon the throne "was to look upon like a jasper 
and a sardine stone." The fullest outline which 
is given in any of the theophanies is that of the 
risen Jesus as John saw him on Patmos; but in 
that scene the description of the majestic figure 
before whom John fell upon the ground as one 
dead, is such that no painter has ever tried, or 
ever thought of trying, to reproduce it. Nothing 
could be more suggestive than the devout reti- 
cence with which John speaks of the glorified 
Jesus on the judgment throne at the last day, 
"And I saw a great white throne, and him that 
sat on it, from whose face the earth and the 



21 8 The Church of Pentecost 

heaven fled away." In this reserve of the sacred 
writers may be seen an incidental but very strik- 
ing proof of their inspiration. Had they not been 
guided by the unerring Spirit, they would cer- 
tainly have attempted an elaborate and grotesque 
description of the Divine Being such as the rude 
ideas of the ancient world would certainly have 
demanded. 

If it be objected that Dr. Finney's experience 
was wholly exceptional, and hence not very trust- 
worthy, it is sufficient to reply that while it was 
very striking in some of its features, it was by no 
means exceptional. Take, for instance, the case 
of the late Bishop Ninde, an eminent and saintly 
man, who enjoyed the boundless confidence of 
all who knew him. The following brief para- 
graph is taken from an article in a recent period- 
ical. No witness could be cited in such a case 
whose testimony would be more unimpeachable, 
and few evangelical men were more widely 
known than Bishop W. X. Ninde : 

"Bishop Ninde, iri preaching at Epworth 
Church, Cambridge, last Sunday morning, a ser- 
mon of profound thoughtfulness and spiritual 
power, made the following statement: 'When 
seventeen years of age, though I had received 
Christian instruction and nurture, I had drifted 
into a condition of doubt concerning- the verities 



Shall See Visions 219 

of the Bible. One evening while walking in my 
room alone, I had a vision of Christ extending 
his arms toward me in compassionate love and 
persuasion. It made me weep, and I wished most 
earnestly that I could believe the declarations of 
the Bible concerning him. A month later, I 'had 
another vision. I saw Christ on the cross, and 
the cross was not in far-away Judea, but right 
before me, and he 'hung there for me. The vision 
broke and filled my heart, and I became his 
disciple.' " 

Similar illustrations might be drawn from va- 
rious sources if space permitted, but only one 
more can be inserted. The following brief para- 
graph was written as a part of a private letter 
which found its way into a religious periodical. 
The writer is a well known minister, at present 
residing in Ohio : 

"Then it was that the blessed Holy Spirit 
opened my understanding to know the Scrip- 
tures. I saw that they must be of God, because 
they quadrated exactly with what he put into my 
soul, which I saw must be so. It was in the 
demonstration of the Holy Ghost who enabled 
me to perceive the absolute certainty of the 
things which he showed me, with a clearness of 
vision which I had never enjoyed in the contem- 
plation of geometrical demonstrations. Then it 



220 The Church of Pentecost 

was that the Holy Spirit took of the things of 
Christ and showed them unto me. One attribute 
after another was disclosed in me and to me, until 
there was a complete revelation of Christ made 
to my soul, so absolute, so wonderful, that I fell 
my full length on my face at his feet, and 
sobbed out in wonder and adoration, 'O, this is 
Jesus of Nazareth, the very same Jesus that was 
crucified !' I was as absolutely certain of it as I 
was of my own being. How long I remained in 
this wonderful fellowship I know not, but it was 
many hours. I may not give you further details. 
But here I saw with wonderful astonishment the 
way out of all my difficulties. What I had ac- 
cepted traditionally, I now knew. Much which I 
had believed because my father and mother had 
believed, and because the Church had believed, I 
now had from the very source which had been 
drawn upon by the apostles and prophets. It 
seemed so wonderful to me that He loved me just 
as much and as truly as he did any of them. For 
myself, at last, I knew the living, reigning, risen, 
personal Man of Galilee, Man of Calvary." 

While these illustrations of the supreme vision 
of a personal Savior manifested to the innermost 
consciousness of believers are placed before, the 
reader, it must not be supposed that the present- 
day vision begins and ends at this point. So far 



Shall See Visions 221 

from conceding this, it should be remembered 
that under the present dispensation this gift is 
manifold in its manifestation, and permanent as 
an inheritance of believers. Take, for instance, 
the aid in prayer, especially in the case of imma- 
ture Christians, which is afforded by various 
imageries which are presented before the mind in 
such a way as to illustrate some truth, or suggest 
some duty, or stimulate a weak faith, or in some 
other way help believers in prayer. The late Dr. 
T. C. Upham, in referring to this subject, ad- 
mitted that the Spirit did vouchsafe such help in 
some cases, but intimated that it was chiefly done 
in the case of persons of defective culture and in- 
telligence. This reservation, however, is a mere 
assumption. The cultured need such help as well 
as others ; but in any case when it is remembered 
that only a small fraction of the 'human race is 
either cultured or intelligent, it will hardly do to 
assume that such special help is only afforded to 
a few persons and under exceptional circum- 
stances. As a matter of fact, the testimony of 
multitudes would seem to indicate quite an op- 
posite conclusion. Very many persons when en- 
gaged in prayer become conscious of various 
kinds of imagery appearing before their spiritual 
vision in such a way as to help them. An appear- 
ance, for instance, of what the supplicant con- 



222 The Church of Pentecost 

ceives to be the Mercy Seat, passes before the one 
engaged in prayer, and the soul is inspired with 
renewed confidence by the thought that access 
has been found into the very presence of God. 
Other features of the temple service are used in 
the same way. New Testament scenes are often 
reproduced in vision — such as Jesus meeting 
Mary, or healing the leper, or blessing the little 
ones, or sending forth his disciples. Recent 
events, personal duties, and pending troubles or 
anxieties — all are subject to this kind of illus- 
tration, as many Christians can testify. 

That God uses simple but inspired visions to 
guide his people, especially when guidance is 
imperatively needed, can not be doubted by any 
one who becomes familiar with the mind of the 
Spirit. We may easily conceive of peculiar cir- 
cumstances under which help of this kind be- 
comes not only very important, but would seem 
to be an imperative necessity. While the Word 
of God, or the counsel of Christian friends, or the 
indications of providence, or the use of a prayer- 
ful private judgment, may suffice with many in 
the ordinary course of a lifetime, special con- 
tingencies may be expected in 'the case of others, 
where it would seem nothing but the immediate 
and direct 'help of the Holy Spirit can afford the 
relief or personal direction which may be needed. 



Shall See Visions 223 

The following sketch from the pen of a mis- 
sionary in India may serve to illustrate one of 
the many instances in which such help is re- 
quired : 

"It so happened that I had become involved 
in some special work among a class of nominal 
Roman Catholics, partially of Portuguese de- 
scent, and known in the city as "Kintal people." 
They were for the most part thriftless and poor, 
without education or any desire for improvement 
in this life, and with very little concern for the 
life to come. In all that related to spiritual 
things I had always found them peculiarly unim- 
pressible. In some way I had become strangely 
depressed at this time, and was finding life little 
more than a daily struggle against a spirit of ab- 
normal discouragement. It so happened one day 
that I was called to the cemetery, and while walk- 
ing up one of the paths I chanced to meet a poor 
woman with her 'three children belonging to* this 
class of people. The four formed a group repre- 
sentative of the class to which they belonged. 
Their faces wore a stolid, listless expression, and, 
as they passed by, my heart sank within me when 
the thought occurred that I was wasting the best 
years of my life in trying to reach and save such 
people. The task seemed hopeless. I began to 
study anew the conditions under which I might 



224 The Church of Pentecost 

expect success, and it seemed that I was trying 
to build without a. foundation, and without any 
stable material with which to work. Such people 
as those I had just seen had not enough character 
to form a moral base on which an enduring 
work could be constructed, and I was powerfully 
tempted to think that I was toiling in vain, with- 
out success, and with the certainty of permanent 
failure. 

"Some days, or possibly weeks, had passed, 
and the incident had been almost dismissed from 
my mind, when it was recalled in an extraor- 
dinary manner. I was in my room alone, en- 
gaged in private prayer, and still sorely oppressed 
with a peculiar heaviness of spirit, when I sud- 
denly seemed to see, as if in dimly-outlined 
vision, the poor woman and the three children 
whom I had met in the cemetery. The accuracy 
of the representation was remarkable. Next I 
perceived in much less distinct outline a figure 
which I at once recognized as that of the Savior, 
standing before the group and looking at them 
with an expression of the utmost tenderness and 
compassion. I wish I could describe what fol- 
lowed, but human language is not adequate to 
such a task. In some way the mother and her 
children seemed to be drawn to the Savior, and 
one by one they were lifted up and merged into 



Shall See Visions 225 

his person, and made partakers of his character, 
and yet did not lose their own individuality. An 
indescribable change came over them. They 
seemed to have been at once transferred and 
transformed — transferred from the associations 
of the Kintal community to kinship with the 
Savior of the world, and transformed into a 
character which harmonized with their new en- 
vironment. I do not know how long this vision 
lingered before my view, but it is probable that 
it all transpired in a very few moments. The 
impression made upon myself was not only re- 
markable, but permanent. The unwonted de- 
pression vanished in a moment, and returned no 
more. I did not, however, find, as migfat have 
been expected, that a new commission had been 
given me for work among the Kintal people. 
The vision was 'for many days,' and the new 
commission was for a wider field. Again and 
again, since that day, I have been confronted by 
the same problem, and on each occasion the 
memory of the lesson once taught me in so 
strange a manner has been sufficient to 
strengthen my faith, uphold my courage, and to 
assure me anew that the risen Son of God is 
abundantly able to lift up and permanently up- 
hold every son and daughter of the human 
race." 
15 



226 The Church of Pentecost 

If space permitted, many instances might be 
cited of experiences not indeed similar in detail 
to the above, but like it in the essential fact of a 
scenic presentation to the believer's conscious- 
ness, which conveyed a much needed lesson or in 
some way afforded relief in a time of very urgent 
need. If it be objected that such examples are 
limited to a very few persons, it is sufficient to 
reply, first, that such manifestations may be more 
frequent than is generally supposed ; and further, 
that although other illustrations may be less re- 
markable, they are none the less real. Many 
persons hesitate to speak, except in the most 
guarded manner, of such occurrences in their 
own experience, while others, no doubt wisely, 
conclude that experiences which are important to 
themselves might impress strangers as trivial, and 
thus fail to commend the special grace which they 
wish to exalt. But even if it be conceded that 
the promised bestowment of the Pentecostal gift 
known as vision, is comparatively a very rare 
experience at the present day, it ought to be 
remembered that this, like all God's gracious 
gifts, is given or withheld according to the meas- 
ure of faith manifested by God's people. At 
one of the saddest periods of spiritual declension 
in ancient Israel, it is recorded in pathetic phrase 



Shall See Visions 227 

by the historian that "there was no open vision." 
It can hardly be doubted that greater fidelity to 
duty on the part of the Church generally, would 
bring back to the earth again, not only a very 
much fuller and more frequent manifestation of 
the vision known to the Church of Pentecost, but 
also of all the other precious gifts which accom- 
panied the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. 

The practical value of a more general distribu- 
tion of this gift can hardly be appreciated by the 
average Christian of the present generation. We 
have all become so accustomed to the fixed habit 
of estimating spiritual possibilities by the stand- 
ard of modern Christianity, rather than by the 
statements of the New Testament, or by the facts 
realized in the Church of Pentecost, that a bold 
affirmation, both of the possibility and of the very 
great need of the lessons taught by vision through 
the direct agency of the Holy Spirit, quite startles 
the average Christian. "What good would come 
of it if all these visions were to become common 
again? What new power would be given to the 
Church? What possible effect would there be 
upon the world? Does every modern Christian 
need a special call to special duty, such as Paul 
received when he was summoned into Mace- 
donia?" These and similar questions meet us 



228 The Church of Pentecost 

the moment we venture to accept as a permanent 
privilege the promise of Joel that Christian be- 
lievers shall have visions revealed to them by the 
Holy Spirit. 

But those who ask such questions should re- 
member that they move in a very narrow circle, 
and utterly fail to realize the needs of hundreds 
of millions of the human race. This world is to 
be brought to Christ. The necessities which made 
the special help and guidance of the Spirit so 
imperative in Paul's day exist to-day, but magni- 
fied a hundred-fold. If the world is to become a 
Christian world within a century or two, men like 
Paul will be needed, not by the score, but by the 
hundred and the thousand. When millions of 
eager and dimly-illuminated converts begin to 
throng the doorways of the Church in every land ; 
when hundreds of millions of non-Christian peo- 
ple begin to move in great masses toward Chris- 
tianity, Who will be sufficient for the overwhelm- 
ing responsibilities of the hour? When that day 
comes — and it is surely coming, and coming 
speedily — the utmost help which the gifts of Pen- 
tecost could afford will be imperatively needed, 
and needed in full measure. In such an era 
millions of half-taught disciples will need the in- 
struction which the Spirit can impart by simple 



Shall See Visions 229 

visions revealed to the consciousness, while a 
great host of workers can be directed into paths 
of usefulness, or assigned to special posts of duty, 
as happened on a limited scale in primitive days. 
Surely it was not in vain that the ancient prophet 
included among his predictions the assurance 
that in the golden age of spiritual gifts our 
"young men should see visions.'' 



XV 
SHALL DREAM DREAMS 

Who has not heard the question asked, per- 
haps a score of times, "Do you believe in 
dreams?" The tone in which the inquiry is made 
may indicate contempt, or mere curiosity, or, 
perhaps, a certain kind of hesitating doubt, ac- 
cording to the standpoint of the individual ; but 
as a general rule the question is not taken very 
seriously. Dreams are so exceedingly common, 
and are so often trivial and even foolish, that in- 
telligent persons can not easily be persuaded that 
any dream can possibly indicate anything more 
than the random operations of a human mind 
acting under abnormal conditions. But when we 
open our Bibles we are confronted by 'the fact 
that from the patriarchal age down to the New 
Testament era, God seems to have used the 
dream as a medium of communication with his 
servants, and even in some instances in the case 
of persons who were not avowed believers in 
Jehovah. Jacob's dream, in which l he saw the 
stairway of light, connecting earth with heaven, 

upon which the angels of God were ascending 

230 



Shall Dream Dreams 231 

and descending, is, perhaps, the most striking 
instance of the kind recorded in the Old Testa- 
ment; but the agency of the inspired dream in 
directing the career of his illustrious son, shows 
us even more clearly how at that early period 
God employed this peculiar mode of revealing his 
will to men. As happened in the case of other 
gifts, impostors were qui«k to put forward claims 
to special revelations received in dreams; but 
while these were rebuked and forbidden, in no 
place do we find any intimation that God had 
ceased to reveal himself through this medium. 
On the other 'hand, in one of the most remark- 
able predictions found among the writings of the 
ancient prophets, we find a distinct promise that 
a time would come when this gift should be be- 
stowed in much larger measure than had been 
known under the former dispensations. It may 
be said, it is true, that not many references to the 
subject occur after Pentecost; but this is partly 
due to the fact that the term, night vision, is 
sometimes employed, as twice in the case of Paul, 
and also because in the very brief history of those 
early days which has come down to us, minor 
incidents are for the most part omitted. 

If it be objected that, as in the case of the 
vision, no very important purpose can be served 
by lessons imparted through dreams, it ought to 



232 The Church of Pentecost 

suffice to reply that this abnormal mental state is 
not only almost universal, but also that it is ex- 
tremely frequent in the case of many persons, and 
that when interpreted, not by the fancy of indi- 
viduals, but by the Holy Spirit himself, God can 
thus reveal things to many feeble mortals which 
they could not easily receive in any other way. 
It can not be repeated too often that the great 
mass of men and women in our world are wholly 
illiterate; that teachers are few; and the com- 
passionate Father of all can employ, and no doubt 
does employ, means of instruction in dealing with 
individuals which would never occur to us, and 
which we, perhaps, could not appreciate if re- 
vealed to us. As the midnight hour strikes its 
note which never ceases till it girdles the earth, 
God looks down upon fifteen hundred million 
souls, all wrapped in slumber, and all objects of 
his tender pity and love. Human parents can 
seldom watch their slumbering little ones, even 
for a minute or two, without stooping to kiss 
them: Does the Father of all look down upon 
all these slumbering myriads with less tenderness 
than an earthly parent? Does 'he never stoop to 
touch even one among them? Is there no Divine 
kiss for the little ones of the kingdom? And does 
God never whisper a message of love, or life, or 
light, through a vision of night, to any of those 



Shall Dream Dreams 233 

over whose slumbers he watches through all the 
long night hours of their lives? 

If we examine this subject in the light of well- 
attested facts, it will soon become apparent that 
God does instruct and help many of his people by 
fulfilling to them the promise which the Spirit 
gave at Pentecost concerning the gift of dreams. 
Before proceeding to lay before the reader a few 
brief sketches illustrating this method of teach- 
ing and guiding those in darkness or doubt, I 
wish to say frankly that, to the best of my recol- 
lection, I have never, even in a single instance, 
had a dream which impressed me in the slightest 
degree as having been sent from above. What- 
ever conclusions I have reached in studying the 
subject, and whatever convictions I may hold 
concerning it, have been wholly the result of the 
affirmations of Scripture and the testimony of 
intelligent persons whose integrity was beyond 
all possible question. 

Some twenty years ago an educated and de- 
vout Hindu, who had a fair knowledge of the New 
Testament, and who was sincerely trying to find 
the way of life through faith in Christ, spoke to 
me about the difficulty he experienced in trying 
to concentrate his mind wholly upon God. The 
Hindu idea of spiritual meditation is that of en- 
tire mental abstraction from everything except 



234 The Church of Pentecost 

God alone, not for a few moments only, but for a 
prolonged time. This, however, proved a task 
quite beyond this devout man's ability, and he 
became sorely troubled on the subject. He could 
not give up his employment, nor could he neg- 
lect his family duties; but these obligations 
seemed to interpose a permanent bar to all his 
efforts to love and serve God as he wished to do, 
and as he believed it was his duty to do. Friends 
tried to correct his mistaken notion, but to no 
purpose. While trying vainly to learn the secret 
of unbroken meditation, he dreamed one night 
that 'he saw a lamb with its mother in a beautiful 
pasture-field. The mother was quietly grazing, 
while the lamb was playfully skipping about, 
sometimes at its mother's side, and again at a 
little distance, but never out of sight, and never 
far enough away to endanger its immediate pro- 
tection. It was a pleasing spectacle to the 
sleeper, and as he watched the lamb and its 
mother his problem was solved. "This lamb," 
he said, "enjoys perfect liberty, and follows its 
own pursuits, and yet it has the presence and 
companionship of its mother every moment. Is 
not this God's plan for me? I need not leave 
him, nor lose sight of him, and yet be able to do 
my work, to take care of my family, and attend 
to all my duties," From this hour the good man 



Shall Dream Dreams 



35 



understood that communion with God did not 
mean mental abstraction and physical idleness. 

Now, in a case of this kind what possible 
method of teaching could be so well adapted to 
the need of the inquirer, as a vision of the Spirit 
given through the medium of a dream? There 
are many millions of such men in India, and 
surely it need not be considered either extrava- 
gant or fanciful if it is suggested that in helping 
them into the light, the Holy Spirit may be ex- 
pected to use the very simple agency of dreams 
in the night watches. 

The next case to be cited, both as an illustra- 
tion and a testimony, is that of a person of very 
different character, who had been brought up in 
the midst of very different associations. A gen- 
tleman occupying a responsible official position 
in India, and who had been nearly twenty years 
in the country, was somewhat suddenly awakened 
to a sense of his own spiritual danger. His con- 
cern was deep and earnest to an extraordinary 
degree; but he knew of no one within reach to 
whom he could go for advice. He had a wide 
circle of devoted friends, but among them all he 
could not think of even one near by who would 
be able to understand his trouble, much less sym- 
pathize with him in his deep distress. He recalled 
one military friend who might have been able to 



236 The Church of Pentecost 

help him ; but this friend was stationed at a place 
so far away that it would have required a week's 
journey to reach him. Meanwhile his spiritual 
concern became more intense, and in his eager 
desire to find rest for both mind and heart he 
closed his office, and shut himself up alone to 
seek by study and prayer relief for his troubled 
soul. Some days were thus spent, when at length 
help came in a very unexpected way. In a dream 
of the night he found himself back again in his 
native Scotland. Before him lay a plowed field, 
but all covered and disfigured by large clods 
which had been baked in the sun until they 
seemed as hard as stone. While looking at this 
ill-favored field, a light rain began to fall, but the 
sun continued to shine, and the gleam of the 
sunshine upon the rain-drops gave a strangely 
pleasing beauty to the scene. Then in a very 
few minutes the big clods began to melt away, 
and soon the whole surface of the field became 
a beautiful expanse of mellow earth tinted with 
golden sunshine. The whole picture became not 
only very pleasing to the eye, but restful to the 
mind, and as the sleeper gazed upon it a voice 
seemed to say, "It is thus with the work of grace 
in the heart." The sleeper awoke, but his doubts 
and fears had taken their flight, to return no 
more. He lived many years to adorn a life of 



Shall Dream Dreams 237 

consistent Christian courage and devotion, and 
never doubted the supreme fact that he had 
passed from death to life at this eventful period. 

It is very easy to say that no dream can be 
trustworthy, and to affirm that God would not 
employ such an agency; but on the other hand, 
in a case like the one before us, what more rea- 
sonable means of guiding one in sore need could 
have been suggested than that which proved so 
effective in the case of this storm-tossed soul? It 
ought to be noted that in most such cases the 
ministry, which is sent through dreams, is given 
to those who otherwise could not have found the 
help which was needed. One or two additional 
examples may make this still more clear. 

Nearly forty years ago a religious devotee in 
Upper India, who was attended by eight or ten 
disciples, devoted like himself to the wandering 
life of religious mendicants, lay down to sleep in 
a village hut. He was a man of a simple but 
sincere character, and was in a mental attitude 
which prepared him to receive new light. In his 
sleep he dreamed, and saw in vision a stranger 
coming to him, who told him to go to the mis- 
sionaries in Moradabad, and he would learn from 
them what he must further do to attain the way 
of life and salvation. In relating the occurrence 
he was never able to describe the appearance of 



238 The Church of Pentecost 

the messenger who appeared to him in his dream, 
save that he was clothed in white, and seemed to 
him to be a foreigner. T'he devotee did not for a 
moment doubt that both messenger and message 
had been sent to him from God, and in the morn- 
ing he announced to his disciples that he was 
going at once to the missionaries. He accord- 
ingly went to Moradabad, taking 'his disciples 
with him. His story was at first doubted, and 
the whole party were subjected to a discipline of 
such severity that in the course of a week all ex- 
cept the leader left and returned to their wan- 
dering life as religious mendicants. But it was 
very different with the man who had received the 
message in the night vision. Nothing could 
shake his confidence, and nothing could lessen 
his courage or the spirit of endurance with which 
he met all manner of disappointments and hard- 
ships. He accepted whatever fell to his lot as a 
part of the career which God 'had marked out for 
him, and a year or two later was found with a 
band of Christian disciples whom he had gath- 
ered around him. Step by step he gained the 
confidence of Christian brethren, and for many 
years before his death was known and loved and 
trusted as a preacher of the gospel of the Son 
of God. 

Here, again, it may certainly be asked in all 



Shall Dream Dreams 239 

reason, How was this wandering devotee, living 
as he did in a region where missionaries had only 
recently appeared, and where they were very few 
in number, to be guided to their door, except by 
some kind of special intervention from above? 
And if God is to send a special message to such 
a man, what more simple and intelligible means 
could have been employed than the very familiar 
medium of a sleeper's dream? But another in- 
cident may make this still more clear. 

About thirty years ago two Scandinavian mis- 
sionaries had established a station among a peo- 
ple known as Santalis, in Western Bengal. These 
people were illiterate, and had long been re- 
garded as difficult of access by the missionary. 
The two missionaries found them an interesting 
people, and friendly enough, but for some time 
there seemed no way of arousing any special in- 
terest among them in the message Which the mis- 
sionaries had brought to them in their jungle 
homes. One night, however, a villager who had 
given no special attention to the missionaries, 
had a remarkable dream, in which he was di- 
rected to go to a certain spot in an open field, 
where a message would be given him, telling him 
what further steps he was to take. The dream 
was so vividly impressed upon his mind that 
he awoke, and nothing doubting at once arose 



240 The Church of Pentecost 

and proceeded to the spot which had been indi- 
cated to him. But on arriving there he found 
no one present. Darkness reigned upon the 
landscape, and the cry of the night birds was the 
only sound which reached him. Had his dream 
appeared to him in less vivid outline, or had the 
message given to him been less definite, he 
would probably have returned to his home and 
slept again till morning, but no thought of doing 
this for a moment entered his mind. Finding no 
one waiting for him, he simply sat down on the 
ground, and waited for the expected messenger 
to come. The hours went slowly by; the gray 
light of early dawn began to appear in the east, 
and soon objects around him began to be visible. 
As the light increased, the poor watcher noticed 
something white at his feet, and picking it up 
found that it was a small piece of paper, with 
something printed on it. He could not read a 
word, but at once concluded that this paper 
contained the message which he sought, and 
forthwith set off to the missionaries to get them 
to read it for him. It proved to be part of a torn 
leaf from the New Testament, and the words 
which it contained were singularly adapted to 
the wants of the poor villager. The message was 
received by him without doubt as having been 
sent from God ; he accepted Christ and the Chris- 



Shall Dream Dreams 241 

tian religion; became a religious leader and a 
Christian preacher, and through his influence 
and efforts a movement began which in the 
course of a few years led to the conversion of 
four thousand of the Santali people. The con- 
verted villager became widely known as "the 
dreamer," but there was nothing "dreamy" in 
his character or his career. He lived consist- 
ently, worked faithfully and successfully, and died 
in the fait-h. 

Those who are inclined to judge all questions 
of Divine Providence by their own notions of 
propriety, or expediency, or wisdom, may per- 
sist in refusing to attach importance to incidents 
of this kind, but in doing so they shut out from 
the range of their observation and influence a 
large portion of the events in the midst of which 
they live and move. All Christian workers and 
all Christian students need to be reminded, over 
and over again, that the world in which they live 
and act is a very wide world; that God's ways 
and means are not limited by man's notions of 
propriety or policy, and that the Holy Spirit is 
ever working among t'he thronging masses of 
the utterly illiterate heathen, as well as among 
the cultivated few who sometimes seem to fancy 
that they enjoy a monopoly of God's love and 

care. But it is not the poor and the ignorant 
16 



242 The Church of Pentecost 

alone who are instructed and helped by special 
manifestations such as those outlined above. 
The Holy Spirit is absolutely impartial, and the 
night vision is sent alike to high and low, cul- 
tured and ignorant, as the Holy Spirit sees that 
the recipients are prepared to receive the mes- 
sage. To further illustrate this fact, I must beg 
the reader's indulgence while I insert one more 
illustration, in this case, of a man who never in 
the course of a long lifetime had been known to 
show any special interest in questions of this 
kind. 

The late Dr. Daniel Curry, of New York, was 
well known as a man of clear and strong mental 
powers which had been subjected to a lifelong 
course of severe discipline. It would have been 
difficult to find any one less inclined to accept 
alleged facts which seemed to partake of a super- 
natural or preternatural character. He was con- 
servative in his religious views, and very guarded 
in his expression of religious experience. At an 
advanced age he was prostrated by a serious ill- 
ness, and lay upon what he knew was to be his 
dying bed. Some days before his death the late 
Dr. Sanford Hunt called to see him, and in the 
course of conversation Dr. Curry mentioned to 
him that he had been greatly strengthened and 
comforted by a remarkable dream, which he pro- 



Shall Dream Dreams 243 

ceeded to relate without further comment, be- 
yond the fact that it had afforded him help and 
comfort to an extent which he could find no 
words to describe. 

It seems that in his dream he had found him- 
self as one who had awaked after death in the 
world of spirits, and that he was nearing the gate 
of heaven in hope of gaining admittance and 
finding there his eternal home. On nearing the 
gate a very grave and solemn personage, in the 
character of keeper of the gate, appeared before 
him, and began to ask him a series of searching 
questions. 

"Who are you, and why are you here?" 

"I am Daniel Curry, of New York, and have 
come here hoping to gain admission to heaven." 

"Have you always been a good man?" 

"No, I must confess that I have not; I have 
committed many sins." 

"Are you a Christian?" 

"Yes, I trust that I am." 

"Have you been faithful to God ever since you 
first professed to be a Christian?" 

"No, I can not say that I have; I have too 
often been unfaithful." 

Other searching questions followed, all bring- 
ing out more clearly the failure of the applicant, 
until overwhelmed with utter shame he hung his 



244 The Church of Pentecost 

head with a deep feeling of sorrow and remorse. 
His case seemed hopeless. His record had been 
one of sin and failure, and he could enter no plea 
in his own behalf. At this supreme moment a 
radiant form of another Personage appeared be- 
side the keeper of the gate, whom the despairing 
child of earth at once recognized as no other than 
the glorified Savior of sinners. "I have under- 
taken for Daniel Curry," spake the mighty 
Friend of sinners, and at once the keeper stood 
aside, the gate opened before him, and heaven 
was his to enter and enjoy. At this point the 
sleeper awoke, and found himself in a state of 
profound emotion, but so strengthened and filled 
with comfort, and so assured of the Divine pres- 
ence and help, that 'he could find no words when 
relating the incident to express his feelings. 

The value of this incident can only be fully 
appreciated by those who knew Dr. Curry. It 
is the more noteworthy because, in its essential 
features, it conforms to tihe manifestations granted 
to the illiterate, and even to those who would by 
some be called heathen. But the chief point to 
notice is that it gave an aged disciple of Christ, 
when nearing the gates of death, the peculiar 
measure of light and comfort and strength which 
he needed. God had come near to speak to him, 
and in the light of what followed it would surely 



Shall Dream Dreams 245 

be difficult to conceive of any Divine manifesta- 
tion which could have more perfectly accom- 
plished the end in view than was done by this 
singular but very remarkable dream.* 

No importance can be attached to the fact 
that the strict language of the prediction seems 
to limit the gift of inspired vision to the young, 
while that of dreams is assigned to the old. The 
terms of the entire paragraph seem simply to 
convey the idea that in the good time coming 
God's bountiful gifts should be distributed 
among believers in abundant measure, without 
regard to age, sex, or social position. Sons 
and daughters, servants and handmaids, young 
and old, all should be alike eligible to the rich 
privileges of that blessed era Which was to come 
in the "last days," not of the world's history, 
but of the old dispensation. God's gifts have 
not been classified according to human standards 
or ideas, but are open to all alike, although sub- 
ject to the choice in every case of infinite wis- 
dom. 

While speaking thus unequivocally on the 
main subject, and avowing my confident belief 
that God's servants in our age, and all through 
the present dispensation, are often instructed and 

*This incident was related by Bishop Foss in a sermon 
preached in India, and is given here accurately, as reported by 
an experienced stenographer. 



246 The Church of Pentecost 

led by intimations received in night visions, I 
would not for a moment be understood as ad- 
vising any preacher or teacher to give promi- 
nence to this subject. During a preaching min- 
istry of more than forty years, I have never once 
preached upon the subject, not because of any 
doubt concerning it, but because of the infirmity 
of a somewhat large class of hearers. Some peo- 
ple are so constituted that they seem inevitably 
to give undue prominence to everything which is 
exceptional. It is so with other subjects as well. 
It would be perilous and unwise for any preacher 
to proclaim a gospel of dreams ; but within such 
limitations as were observed in New Testament 
days, there can be no danger in wisely instruct- 
ing disciples of all ages and all degrees of culture 
to accept any and every properly-attested mes- 
sage which God may send them. On the other 
hand, we should be very slow to affirm, when 
good people speak of impressions received 
through dreams, that they are misled by fancies. 
They may or may not be misled ; but in any case 
it is best to treat their convictions seriously, and 
point out to them the difference between the 
Spirit's leading and mere fancies of the mind. 



XVI 
CHRISTIAN CONSECRATION 

" I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, 
that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable 
unto God, which is your reasonable service." — Rom. xii, i. 

' ' Neither said any of them that aught of the things which 
he possessed was his own." — Acts rv, 32. 

The very simple but extremely comprehen- 
sive rule of consecration which prevailed in the 
Church of Pentecost is strikingly expressed in 
the statement that no one said that aught of the 
things he possessed was his own. By the triple 
right of creation, preservation, and redemption, 
God justly claims the unreserved service of every 
member of the race. This includes not only the 
personal service of the individual, but all that 
belongs to him, whether in the shape of material 
things, mental endowments, physical powers, 
personal influence, or anything else which pos- 
sesses value of any kind to its owner. The be- 
liever is represented as a living sacrifice laid upon 
the altar of God, and placed without reserve at 
the disposal of his Master. The importance of 
personal consecration is abundantly affirmed in 
the New Testament, and had been clearly fore- 

247 



248 The Church of Pentecost 

shadowed in various ceremonial services under 
the Jewish dispensation. The uniform law of 
tithing had, from a very early period in Hebrew 
history, made the people familiar with the idea 
of personal obligation to God, and unfaithfulness 
in meeting this demand had always been de- 
nounced by the prophets as akin to personal dis- 
honesty. The first disciples, having all been Jew- 
ish proselytes, were no doubt in a measure pre- 
pared for the enlarged obligation to consecrate 
both their substance and themselves without 
reservation to God. 

It does not appear that any special instruction 
was given to them on this subject, but rather that 
the extraordinary spirit of giving which took 
possession of the whole community was the 
spontaneous offspring of the love of Christ which 
had been implanted in their hearts by the Holy 
Spirit. In other words, the spirit of consecration 
which so quickly appeared among the people was 
one of t'he many "fruits of the Spirit" which at- 
tended the baptism of the Holy Ghost, and which 
may be expected to attend every anointing of the 
Spirit which is given in like measure. If certain 
believers are found to be ever ready to part with 
their possessions in obedience to the call of God 
or of humanity, it may be accepted as certain that 
they have been made partakers of the Spirit's 



Christian Consecration 249 

anointing- ; while, on the other hand, if a believer, 
or a hundred believers, affirm that they have 
received the baptism of the Spirit in Pentecostal 
measure, and yet cling to their money and their 
possessions as eagerly as before, it becomes pain- 
fully evident that they are mistaken. They may 
have received light and blessing from above, but 
not in the fullness of measure which seems to 
have been the common heritage of the whole 
body of believers in the Church of Pentecost. 
The laws of grace have not changed with the 
lapse of the centuries. The believer of to-day 
who is filled with the Spirit will give of his sub- 
stance with as free a hand as those who were 
members of the first Christian Church. 

In a previous chapter it was remarked that 
when a Christian disciple receives the baptism 
of the Holy Spirit, the chief feature of the work 
wrought in his heart is the uniting of the believer 
by a living spiritual bond to his Lord and Savior. 
In his farewell prayer Jesus had spoken of his 
own consecration in remarkable terms, "And for 
their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also may 
be truly sanctified." (John xvii, 20.) The word 
"sanctify" has two meanings; to consecrate or 
set apart, and to make holy. In the latter sense 
our Savior could not have applied the word to 
himself; but in the former sense no term could 



250 The Church of Pentecost 

have been more fitly used to describe his life, and 
still more his death, of unreserved devotion to 
God and humanity. His entire life was one long 
act of consecration to his mission on earth. As 
with the Master, so with the disciple. The 
branch is like, and must be like, the Vine. When 
filled with the Spirit, the believers in the Church 
of Pentecost needed no exhortation to benevo- 
lence. The law of unquestioning consecration 
had been written on their hearts, and the sight 
of human want was all that was needed to prompt 
it to action. 

In our day we constantly hear of "consecra- 
tion meetings," and a considerable literature has 
been created in the special interest of this sub- 
ject. Hymns of consecration are sung, and 
sermons on the supreme duty of consecrated liv- 
ing are often heard in modern Churches. This is 
all right enough, and in the main to be com- 
mended ; but yet it does not appear that the sub- 
ject was even mentioned in the Church of Pente- 
cost. It was illustrated, but not taught. As 
before remarked, the movement was spontane- 
ous. The disciples were all filled with the Spirit, 
and being thus in normal measure made partakers 
of the Spirit of Christ, their consecration was the 
natural, or rather gracious, result of their solemn 
consecration of themselves to God. No one felt 



Christian Consecration 251 

the need of meetings to promote the work of 
personal consecration, for the very good reason 
that, as yet, no one had either felt or seen the 
need of a more perfect devotion to Christ and 
his cause than that which filled the heart and 
mind of every member of the little community. 
As yet, the normal law of love held sway in the 
little Church, and the normal spirit of conse- 
crated giving received abundant illustration from 
day to day. 

It must not be too hastily assumed that no 
practical spirit of consecration at all correspond- 
ing to that of which we read in the Church of 
Pentecost can be found in any of our modern 
Churches. Very many Christians are living in 
our world to-day who are quite as devoted, and 
who have surrendered worldly interests quite as 
promptly, as did the first disciples; but a survey 
of the condition of even the most advanced and 
spiritually-minded modern Churches forces upon 
us the conviction that the standard of personal 
consecration among Christian people generally 
is a very low one, and that the subject .is but 
imperfectly understood. It is for this reason that 
a place is found for special meetings held in the 
interest of personal consecration and prayer. It 
is not that a better "experience" may be gained ; 
that hindrances to overcoming faith may be re- 



252 The Church of Pentecost 

moved; or that the believer may be taught to 
submit to the law of God in matters affecting 
certain phases of inner feeling; but rather that 
the practical law of personal consecration to 
God's service may be taught. What is meant 
by that service? In how far is the service of God 
identical with the service of humanity? What 
"talents" have we? What is meant by selling all 
that we possess? In how far does disobedience 
to personal obligation stand in the way of our 
receiving the fullness of the Holy Spirit? The 
prayerful study of such questions as these will 
not fail to suggest to those minds which are 
open to conviction the practical meaning of 
Christian consecration. As the law is in a more 
general sense said to take the place of a school- 
master to bring us to Christ, so the law of conse- 
cration in this case can be, and very often is, used 
by the Spirit to bring believers to a realization 
both of their low spiritual state, and of their 
exalted privileges in Christ Jesus. The fact that 
special meetings for consecration are often badly 
conducted, and that the obligations taught are of 
the most superficial kind, does not really affect 
the subject. Truth must be taught in any case, 
and ought to be taught all the more faithfully 
because error is so prone to usurp its place. 
A glance at the present condition of the 



Christian Consecration 253 

Church at large, both in Europe and America, 
makes it painfully evident that the average conse- 
cration of those professing the Christian name is 
very defective. Take, for instance, the consecra- 
tion of property. While figures can undoubtedly 
be so tabulated as to make it seem that the 
Christian public is contributing large sums for 
benevolent purposes, yet when measured by the 
actual ability of the Church, the amount given to 
the various enterprises bearing the name of 
Christ is pitifully small. As an example, look at 
the great missionary cause, which in many re- 
spects is the most important Christian enterprise 
now before the public. Nearly all the leading 
societies of the world are struggling with finan- 
cial difficulties, and as the years go by the earnest 
appeals put forth by those responsible for the 
management of these societies call forth only a 
very moderate response. It is impossible to con- 
ceal from ourselves, or from others, the humili- 
ating fact that many foreign missions are slowly 
losing ground, at least in their financial interests. 
It may be said, of course, that we have been pass- 
ing through a period of financial depression ; but 
when it is stated that in the United States the 
sum of $15,000,000 is expended annually for 
chewing-gum, nothing need be added to show 
that financial stringency alone will not account 



254 The Church of Pentecost 

for the humiliating position of the missionary 
societies. The root of the trouble is found in the 
want of intelligent consecration on the part of 
those who ought to be ready to give, not merely 
money, but life itself, to a cause to which God has 
been summoning his people for a century past. 
A people wholly consecrated to Christ and his 
work could, and would, make an end of the 
difficulty in a single day. 

During recent years some special attention has 
been given to the subject of tithing, a custom 
which is borrowed from the ancient Hebrews; 
and certainly no Christian ought for a moment to 
regard the rule as too oppressive for disciples of 
Jesus Christ. Here and there Christians may be 
found who have solemnly consecrated one-tenth 
of their annual income, whatever that income 
may chance to be, to the service of God in some 
form or other. We may waive the question as to 
whether this obligation, which is clearly author- 
ized in the Old Testament, should be carried over 
into the present dispensation. It may not be easy 
to prove that the same amount is required by the 
Christian which was given by the Jew; but it 
certainly ought to be accepted without question 
that the Christian can not be expected to give 
less than the Jew. It would be humiliating to 
the last possible degree to maintain that the con- 



Christian Consecration 255 

secration of the Christian involves less giving on 
his part than that of the less enlightened Jews 
who lived under the Mosaic dispensation. Be 
that as it may, the fact remains that Christians 
generally shrink from the idea of obligating 
themselves to tithe their incomes. Some view it 
with indifference, and some with hostility; and 
yet the acceptance of this rule would at a single 
stroke relieve all Christian organizations from 
financial embarrassment, put new life into every 
kind of Christian enterprise, and double the 
working power of all Christian agencies. Where 
this plan has been tried marvels have been ac- 
complished by persons in very moderate circum- 
stances, and in some instances results have been 
attained which would surprise the public if more 
generally made known. Not very many years 
ago one of the wealthiest of New York's mer- 
chants died, having made a will which provided 
for the distribution of an immense amount of 
money in ways which would be of little benefit 
to any human being. The publication of the will 
created great surprise, and naturally called forth 
some pungent comments. A wealthy Christian 
who had known the deceased, was led to think 
seriously upon the sad outcome of a life which 
had consisted of a long struggle for wealth, only ' 
to end in what might be regarded as a disappoint- 



256 The Church of Pentecost 

ing blank. The result of a few hours' prayerful 
thought was a decision on his part that without 
waiting for death, and without trusting to the 
uncertain procedure of making a will, he would 
adopt the rule of giving one-tenth of his income 
to God; and acting upon this basis, the first 
thing he did the next morning was to set aside 
a large sum of money to be divided equally be- 
tween two leading educational institutions near 
his own city. The result was that these two in- 
stitutions received a new lease of life, and to-day 
are standing as living monuments of a good man 
who was led promptly to do his duty by an awak- 
ened conscience. 

One source of the failure to consecrate prop- 
erty to God is found in the persistent inclination 
of most persons to perform all their acts of con- 
secration in intention only. Millions upon mill- 
ions have been thus mentally consecrated by 
good men and women who found pleasure in de- 
termining to do good with their money, and who 
loved to form plans relating to it, but who to the 
last deluded themselves with the idea that they 
would complete the act in the future, instead of 
finishing it once for all at the time that con- 
science pressed the duty upon them. Wrecks of 
fortunes can be found all over the Christian 
world, which might have been saved for God and 



Christian Consecration 257 

humanity had their former owners not been de- 
luded by the pleasing but deceptive picture of 
a good act done in the future. A consecration 
of this kind is no consecration at all. It is true 
that God blesses the intention as well as the act ; 
but the trouble in this case is that the intention 
is not fully formed. God's commandment is, 
"Withhold not good from them to whom it is 
due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do 
it." The too frequent attempt to evade this plain 
rule of action has resulted in the loss of many 
millions which ought to have gone into the 
Lord's treasury. 

God's law of consecration is a subject which 
demands the most careful study on the part of 
parents. Many fathers, especially those pos- 
sessed, of wealth, seem to forget that they are 
responsible not only for the money which they 
spend themselves, but also for that which they 
put into the hands of their sons and daughters. 
A son of a godly Christian man has been known 
to live a life of disgraceful wickedness, always 
having ample money to spend in his riotous liv- 
ing, and never restrained by the thought that 
possibly his supplies might be cut off, simply be- 
cause he trusted his father to provide the money. 
This may be an extreme case, and yet in all cases 
the parent is responsible, not only for all that he 
17 



258 The Church of Pentecost 

spends himself, but for every penny which he 
puts into the hands of other persons to be ex- 
pended by them. It is a sad thought, and yet it 
does seem to be but too true, that many parents 
assist their children in their downward course by 
providing them with money to expend in their 
evil ways. The sin of EH, it is to be feared, is 
still exceedingly common among people who 
bear the Christian name. 

Consecrated parents would do well to test the 
measure of their consecration to God by consid- 
ering the possible future of their children. Ac- 
count for the fact as we may, it is extremely rare 
for the son or daugher of wealthy parents to 
become eminent as personal workers in any de- 
partment of Christian service. They are rarely 
found in the mission-field, and seldom devote 
themselves to any career in the home-land which 
will bring them into personal contact with the 
lower classes of their fellow-men. As a rule, it is 
considered perfectly right for Christian parents, 
of whatever grade of society, to choose for their 
children such positions in life as will contribute 
most to their advancement in the social world 
and to their success in gaining wealth. This is 
the more surprising in view of the fact that the 
practical consecration of children to a life which 
is virtually independent of any special claim from 



Christian Consecration 259 

God, is neither the wisest nor the safest rule 
which could be followed. If God chooses a child 
for a secular calling, that will be the best pos- 
sible place for the child; but the uppermost 
thought with every parent should be that the 
children belong to God, and should be conse- 
crated to him for service in whatever field may be 
providentially allotted to them. 

The present is an era of great opportunities. 
The doors of the nations have been opened to 
missionaries of every class as never before. A 
thousand workers are needed in each great mis- 
sion-field of the world at once. Here and there 
a very few consecrated parents are ready to give 
their children for this service ; but it is otherwise 
when a career is opened under any government, 
or by a wealthy business firm, with a liberal and 
well-classified scale of salaries for those employed. 
Parents are then found eagerly competing with 
one another in their efforts to find employment 
for their sons. If soldiers are needed to go forth 
for war they are speedily found. When a great 
war breaks out, not only do parents give up their 
sons, and sisters their brothers, but even wives 
with'dependent children clinging to them may be 
seen tearfully bidding their husbands go forth to 
war. Christian consecration ought to exhibit a 
spirit at least equal to this ; but thus far pictures 



260 The Church of Pentecost 

of this kind in the history of the missionary enter- 
prise have only been seen in exceptional cases. 
Would to God that a new gospel of Christian 
consecration could be preached from every pul- 
pit, and illustrated in every home throughout the 
Christian world. 

The personal consecration of a Christian to 
the service of Christ should be understood to in- 
volve in every case personal service in some form. 
Here, again, we find a very confused notion in 
the minds of most persons concerning this sub- 
ject. Perhaps in nine cases out of ten the person 
concerned, if questioned on the subject, would 
calmly reply that he is not qualified to do any 
Christian work, and that he trusts others who 
have more leisure or better gifts to do all that is 
required. Those who have means often are pre- 
pared to go a step farther, and employ one or 
more substitutes to work for them. This is well 
enough if the substitute in question is employed 
in addition to what the person himself does. The 
chief point to remember is that there are certain 
forms of personal service from which no believer 
can be excused. These may not be the same in 
every case, but it will be found, if careful inquiry 
is made, that each individual stands related to 
certain tasks, or to certain other individuals, in 
such a way that obligations rest upon him which 



Christian Consecration 26 1 

can not possibly be discharged by any one else. 
"Go ye also into my vineyard," is a command 
given to every one who receives a call from the 
Master to become his disciple. In no case does 
it appear that the suggestion was made to any 
one of those thus sent that his duty might be fully 
discharged by employing a substitute. 

We learn a striking lesson from an incident 
which occurred in the history of the prophet 
Elisha. When the poor stricken mother came 
to him to report the death of her child, the man 
of God first thought to lighten his duty by send- 
ing 'his servant with instructions to take his staff 
and lay it upon the face of the child, hoping and 
trusting that this would suffice to restore the 
dead child to his afflicted mother. The servant 
did as he was commanded ; but of course the ex- 
periment was a failure. The mother's better in- 
stinct had told her from the first that the prophet 
must come in person, and she kept close to his 
side. When the man of God reached the house 
of mourning, he entered into the chamber of 
death, and laid his own living form upon the life- 
less corpse before him, so that his lips touched 
the lips of the little one cold in death ; and only 
then did the sweet current of life begin to flow 
through the lifeless form of the child. It is often 
thus with Christian workers in our day. They 



262 The Church of Pentecost 

shrink from personal contact with those whom 
they would influence for good. They would 
gladly employ some one to carry a lifeless walk- 
ing-stick to the abode of sorrow or death; but 
the Master will not have it so. "Go thou," is the 
command. Every one who bears the Master's 
name should rejoice to receive such a command, 
and both seek and find that anointing from on 
high will will make his feet ever swift to run in 
the way of his commandments. 



XVII 
A TRAGEDY AND ITS LESSONS 

Only one shadow falls upon the bright page 
which records the brief history of the Church of 
Pentecost ; but that shadow is very dark indeed. 
The whole community was composed of Spirit- 
filled believers. The Holy Spirit, who had come 
in power at Pentecost, still abode among the 
people, and his presence and guidance were rec- 
ognized to an extent which it is difficult for 
modern Christians to realize. He had been re- 
vealed as the Spirit of holiness, and also of truth. 
In obedience to his promptings large numbers of 
the people had been led to undertake duties 
which demanded extraordinary devotion and 
sacrifice, such as were illustrated in the almost 
daily spectacle of estates being sold and the pro- 
ceeds applied to the relief of the stranger and the 
poor. It is evident that this service was regarded 
as obedience to the special promptings, but not 
the express command, of the Holy Spirit, and 
hence it possessed a peculiar sanctity in the eyes 
of the people. Among others, a man and wife 
came forward to present an offering of this kind, 

263 



264 The Church of Pentecost 

having, as they alleged, sold an estate for a sum 
of money which they tendered to the apostles. 
Whether they had from the first deliberately re- 
solved to deceive the apostles and the public, or, 
as is more probable, had yielded to a temptation 
after the sale to keep back part of the money by 
making a false statement, does not appear, but as 
a matter of fact they presented a false account, 
told a deliberate falsehood, and accepted public 
credit for a measure of devotion which they did 
not possess. 

An awful retribution swiftly followed this act 
of deliberate trifling with the authority and guid- 
ance of Him who had come among men to con- 
vince of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. 
First the husband, and three hours later the wife, 
fell dead after hearing an awful sentence pro- 
nounced by Peter, who expressly stated that their 
crime had been that of gross impiety in trying to 
deceive the Holy Spirit. It need hardly be added 
that an extraordinary fear fell upon the people, 
and it was thenceforth not only understood, but 
impressed deeply upon the public mind and heart, 
that the most awful sin Which mortals could com- 
mit was that of profaning, or treating lightly or 
disobeying, the Holy Spirit in his personal and 
immediate ministration among men. 

The fate of this husband and wife has long 



A Tragedy and Its Lessons 26^ 

been a favorite subject for cavil among disbe- 
lievers in the Bible, and a difficult subject for 
apologists who wished to uphold the inspiration 
of the New Testament, and at the same time 
maintain that in meting out justice to mortals 
God deals impartially with all. Granting that the 
facts narrated are to be accepted as historical, the 
thought occurs to the average reader that there 
was nothing in the sin of Ananias and Sapphira 
to make them appear more guilty than large 
numbers of professing Christians at the present 
day. Very many persons register vows which 
are not kept. Many undertake to pay money in 
God's name for religious and benevolent pur- 
poses, and afterward keep back part of the sub- 
scription. Sometimes such acts are avowed with 
attempts at justification, while in other cases they 
are concealed ; but in no case is the sin regarded 
as either daring or glaring in the sight of either 
God or men. Why, then, were this most un- 
happy man and wife stricken down without a 
gleam of mercy? Were they sinners above all 
other sinners who have since lived, and if not, 
how are we to explain the awful severity of their 
punishment? 

Before attempting to answer this question, it 
may be well to refer for a moment to another 
tragedy which occurred far back in the early 



266 The Church of Pentecost 

dawn of Hebrew history. Moses had set tip the 
tabernacle in the desert, had explained the char- 
acter of the service, had appointed the officiating 
priests, and when all arrangements had been 
completed, a consuming flame had flashed forth 
from above the mercy-seat, and kindled the fuel 
and sacrifices on the altar, in the sight of the 
ministering priests and many of the people. A 
deep impression had been made by this event, 
and the most thoughtless must have felt that the 
presence of the flame thus kindled was a sign to 
them of the ineffable holiness of God, who could 
not be lightly approached by sinful men. The 
distinction between sacred and profane fire was 
well understood, and an express command had 
been given that no fire drawn from any other 
source was ever to be used in connection with 
the tabernacle service. It would seem that after 
such a token of God's immediate presence no one 
could have been careless about such a matter, 
and yet two sons of Aaron, with impious indiffer- 
ence, took their censers and filled them with 
"strange fire." In a moment a lurid flame broke 
forth from the inner sanctuary, and the two 
thoughtless youths were stricken with instant 
death. 

It is not strange that the tragical death of the 
two young priests made a deep and abiding im- 



A Tragedy and Its Lessons 267 

pression upon the Hebrew people. In an age 
when religious truths could only be taught by a 
series of impressive object-lessons, this incident 
not only startled the community, but proclaimed 
the supreme majesty and holiness of God in a 
manner which the Hebrew people were never 
wholly able to forget. The tragedy occurred in 
what might be called the kindergarten age of the 
religious world,* and its true import can only be 
properly estimated when this fact is borne in 
mind. 

The death of Ananias and Sapphira can only 
be explained in the same way as that of the two 
sons of Aaron. It was an object-lesson. The 
kindergarten age of the religious world was just 
passing away. The sacred fire of the temple altar 
was soon to be extinguished forever; the type 

* The most advanced nations in the ancient world could 
only have been taught spiritual truths by a series of striking 
object-lessons, and this should ever be borne in mind when in- 
terpreting the Old Testament Scriptures, and especially their 
earlier portions. In our own day many nations and tribes can 
be found equally low in civilization and in their range of 
thought ; but the situation is radically changed when living men 
go to these degraded people, having spiritual truth incarnated 
in their own persons, and teach them as man teaching man. 
The pathetic plaint of a representative of the ancient world was, 
" He is not a man as I am ;" but since Christ manifested God to 
the world, and exalted man to kinship with himself, men filled 
with the Spirit can directly teach spiritual truth, although illus- 
tration may still be freely used in order to make the teaching 
intelligible. 



268 The Church of Pentecost 

had already given place to the antitype ; a Living 
Flame in the person of the Holy Spirit had come 
as the abiding Paraclete, and all believers were 
rejoicing in his light. But in the midst of the 
universal joy a peril was already appearing. Our 
poor humanity is weak at best. The free gift of 
the Spirit began to be regarded lightly, and even 
good men forgot that the God of universal love 
was still a "consuming fire." The poor short- 
sighted husband and wife forgot that love and 
holiness are essentially one, and perhaps assum- 
ing that God's love, like human kindness, is 
sometimes blind, made the awful mistake of deal- 
ing dishonestly with the Holy Spirit and falsely 
with their brother Christians. 

The penalty of their sin was swift and sure. 
As at the inauguration of the old dispensation, so 
also at that of the new, an object-lesson was 
needed which could be held up as an awful warn- 
ing for ages upon ages to come. Ananias and 
Sapphira are simply the Nadab and Abihu of the 
present dispensation. Their fate has long stood 
forth to teach its solemn lesson as the gener- 
ations of men have passed by, and this most im- 
pressive lesson has never been more needed than 
at the present day. 

It is by no means certain that Nadalb and 
Abihu were in any special sense wicked youths. 



A Tragedy and Its Lessons 269 

The brief story of their unhappy fate has a pathos 
in it which would seem to indicate that they were 
loved as sons and as brothers. It has been sug- 
gested that the prohibition against wine-drinking 
which was given after their death may be ac- 
cepted as indicating that they were partially in- 
toxicated at the time ; but if so, the same prohi- 
bition shows that in the free use of wine they did 
not differ from the other priests, nor does it ap- 
pear that Ananias and Sapphira were hypocrites, 
or in. any sense false believers, at the time they 
fell into the fatal share which led to their ruin. 
It may be remembered that in the time of David 
a similar fate is said to have overtaken Uzzah, 
whose only offense had been that of rashness, 
and whose loyalty to God and to the king has 
never been questioned. 

We are all perhaps too ready to interpret and 
apply God's judgments according to standards 
of our own, and in the meantime we constantly 
forget that where sudden judgment once over- 
takes the transgressor in the very act of sin, in a 
thousand other instances it delays its stroke for 
many years. It is perhaps not too much to say 
that, in a large majority of cases, human sins and 
crimes escape justice in the present life. One of 
the strongest arguments in favor of a future life 
is that in no other way can God's administration 



270 The Church of Pentecost 

of justice in the present life be vindicated. The 
great truth brought to light by the writer of 
Ecclesiastes is the distinct revelation of a coming 
judgment in which the glaring inequalities of the 
present life shall all be rectified. In the light of 
this revelation announced in the dim era before 
Christ, and brought out in lines of awful grandeur 
and majesty by our Savior himself, we should 
pause long before assuming that a stroke of jus- 
tice is in every case a sufficient evidence of ex- 
treme wickedness. 

The fate which overtook Ananias and Sap- 
phira was not so much a punishment of them, as 
a warning to us. Vast numbers of professing 
Christians may be found at the present day who 
stand in urgent need of just such a warning. 
Any one who becomes intimately acquainted 
with the spiritual life of present-day Christians 
will soon discover that the sins of grieving the 
Spirit, resisting the Spirit, and even quenching 
the Spirit, are offenses which too many lightly 
commit without a thought that in doing so they 
are treading on most perilous ground. As for 
the sin of Ananias and Sapphira, its exact coun- 
terpart may be witnessed only too often in our 
modern Churches. Subscriptions to benevolent 
objects are publicly made, and perhaps public 
praise accepted for the act; but payment is de- 



A Tragedy and Its Lessons 271 

ferred, delay encouraged, and perhaps in the end 
full payment evaded. In one case a large sub- 
scriber to a building enterprise, in order to evade 
payment, actually became a party to a plan which 
wrecked the enterprise, and yet no one thought 
of him as having far surpassed Ananias and Sap- 
phira in his bold act of sin. Experienced collect- 
ors are often heard to say that twenty-five per 
cent of ordinary subscriptions should be deducted 
for "shrinkage," and it is greatly to be feared 
that the word shrinkage in this case, on the part 
of many at least, expresses in a mild form the 
anticipated holding back of money solemnly 
pledged to God and his work. 

Nor should it be forgotten that money is not 
the only offering which the Holy Spirit prompts 
the people of God to bring to the altar of sacri- 
fice. Very many are called to special service, and 
such calls will, in the nature of the case, often in- 
volve the renunciation of privileges more highly 
prized than money. The young man may have to 
abandon the pathway to fame ; the young woman 
to sacrifice social tastes and prospects almost as 
dear as life. Many a Christian who has never 
had money to give away is called upon to sacri- 
fice opportunities which money could not buy, 
and of vast numbers who have never had money 
to enjoy it might be said that with true Pente- 



272 The Church of Pentecost 

costal devotion they have sold all and laid the 
price at their Master's feet. The call to do so 
comes from the Holy Spirit, and in responding to 
this call the Christian of to-day should take sol- 
emn warning from the fate of Ananias and Sap- 
phira. Very many are sorely tempted to keep 
back part of the price, while not a few are per- 
suaded to repudiate the whole transaction and 
carry away from the very altar of God the offer- 
ing which they have brought. 

We may see from time to time painful illustra- 
tions of this grievous error, and nowhere is it 
more frequent than among those who have been 
moved by the Spirit to become special messen- 
gers of Christ to a perishing world. The young 
man with brilliant gifts receives such a call, rec- 
ognizes it clearly, and obeys the heavenly vision, 
but soon finds •himself struggling against a two- 
fold temptation. In the first place he may seek a 
dazzling popularity, a comfortable life, and a 
congenial social environment; but with little 
further thought of the call which God has given 
him. No burning bus'h with its awful voice dis- 
turbs the quiet serenity of his life. He has not 
wholly disobeyed, and yet he is keeping back the 
greater part of his offering. 

But the temptation may go farther than this. 
The preacher, once called and anointed for his 



A Tragedy and Its Lessons 273 

work, may fancy that he sees before him, if only 

he were working on other lines, possibilities of 

success far beyond anything to which a numble 

preacher of the gospel can ever aspire, and, 

blinded by ambition and covetousness, he may 

abandon his post and join the worldly multitude 

in its mad rush after wealth and fame. In such a 

case the poor, deceived creature takes back the 

whole price, and goes far beyond the unhappy 

pair who perished under the sentence of Peter in 

the days of the Church of Pentecost. 

Men and women who devote themselves 

wholly to any special calling under a distinct 

conviction that in doing so they are obeying 

the promptings of the Holy Spirit, should never 

lightly change their minds and abandon their 

work. If they have mistaken their calling, God 

can reveal this to them; but disobedience to a 

recognized conviction is always attended with 

peril. Sometimes such persons intend to disobey 

only in part, but such attempts are vain. The 

preacher remains in his pulpit, but engages in 

business, and soon his business is his master. 

One such man, when asked why he did not throw 

himself heart and soul into his legitimate work, 

replied, "If I were to do so it would involve a 

loss of more than five thousand dollars." And 

yet this man, who, with holy vows upon him, had 
18 



274 The Church of Pentecost 

read the story of Ananias and Sapphira a hun- 
dred times, dreamed of no danger in keeping 
back nearly the whole price of his offering ! 

"But," it may be said, "the judgment which 
fell upon these two never attends such trans- 
actions now." Very true; nor was the fate of 
Nadab and Abihu repeated at every turn of Jew- 
ish history, and yet the stroke even in our day is 
not wholly withheld. The visitation of physical 
death is less terrible than the spiritual blight 
which falls upon the heart and soul of the un- 
faithful and dishonest disciple. Every reader of 
the New Testament is familiar with the fact that 
men and women bearing the Christian name may 
be dead while still living : "Thou hast a name that 
thou livest, and art dead." The saddest moral 
wrecks to be found on the face of the earth are 
those who have made shipwreck of faith. A man 
is seen standing with an idle group at a village 
street corner, regaling his hearers with worthless 
stories, or listening to worthless gossip. His life 
is a failure, and he is best known as a man with- 
out principle, and utterly wanting in veracity. 
Who is he? In his youth he was a preacher of 
the truth. Another is seen flying from place to 
place, full of plans and projects ; grasping, strug- 
gling, now succeeding and now failing, but in 
the meantime losing character, friends, prospects. 



A Tragedy and Its Lessons 275 

and finally money, until at last in old age he ap- 
pears as the very incarnation of disappointment 
and failure, standing on the brink of eternity, 
and yet with scarcely enough moral power in 
him to enable him to devote a thought to the 
future. Who is he? A man who in youth was 
called with a holy calling to speak for God, and 
who obeyed for a season, but later in life was 
lured away from the pathway of duty, sought the 
prizes offered by the world, was deceived, tried 
again and again, only to be deceived more and 
more, until at last we see him left without enough 
manhood -to denounce the world which has be- 
trayed him. Ananias may have committed a 
greater sin than this man ; but if so, the principles 
on which Divine justice is administered in this 
world, and in all worlds, are not clearly under- 
stood. 

A man with a withered hand becomes at once 
an object of pity and compassion ; but a man with 
a withered soul is in a worse plight — ten thou- 
sand times worse. We meet such men, and. at 
times they almost seem to abound. If they 
preach, the Word from their lips seems lifeless 
and powerless. If they pray, their petitions are 
mere forms of expression. They have no access 
to God, and no power in prayer. Among their 
fellow-men they move without sympathy, and 



276 The Church of Pentecost 

are seldom the objects of either esteem or love. 
They are living, and yet are dead. It has not 
always been thus with them. They once lived a 
better life, and walked not only in love and affec- 
tion with man, but in love and fellowship with 
God. The exact fate of the two victims of the 
tragedy of Pentecost has not overtaken them; 
but in the clearer light of the world to come it 
will probably be seen that the single sin of Ana- 
nias and Sapphira was venial indeed, when 
weighed in the balance against a long-continued 
course *of similar transgression. 

May the Father of mercies have compassion 
upon us all, and rouse the modern Church to a 
realization of the startling truth that our God is 
still "a consuming fire!" 



xvm 

UNITY OF BELIEVERS 

" That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, art in me, and 
I in Thee, that they also may be one in us : that the world may 
believe that Thou hast sent me. And the glory which Thou 
gavest me I have given them ; that they may be one, even as we 
are one." — John xvii, 21, 22. 

"And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart 
and one soul." — Acts iv, 32. 

The devout reader of our Savior's final prayer 
with his disciples must often think sadly of the 
wide gulf which seems tO' separate between the 
ideal Church of Christ and the real Church as it 
exists in the world to-day. The union of believ- 
ers was undoubtedly the culminating thought in 
that wonderful prayer ; but when we look abroad 
over the Christian world of to-day, we are com- 
pelled to confess sadly that few traces of such 
a perfect and exalted union as that for which 
Jesus prayed are at first view visible among those 
who bear the Christian name. The subject has 
not been overlooked, but, on the contrary, has 
received abundant attention; but if not over- 
looked, it has certainly been grievously misun- 
derstood, and it is to be feared that most of the 
efforts made to promote this hallowed Christian 

277 



278 The Church of Pentecost 

grace have tended to hinder rather than help the 
cause of vital Christian unity. 

The union for which Jesus prayed was essen- 
tially spiritual and vital, and it is not credible that 
any one among his hearers could have possibly 
understood the words to apply to forms of or- 
ganization, questions of doctrine, precedence in 
rank, dates in history, or to any other question 
which did not connect itself directly with the 
spiritual life of the believer, and especially with 
the great bond of common love to a common 
Savior and common Father, by which all believ- 
ers in earth and heaven are united together. In 
our day, however, nine-tenths of those called 
Christians view the question wholly as it connects 
itself with these incidental and relatively unim- 
portant considerations. Absurd and humiliating 
at it may appear, it is nevertheless a painful fact 
that thousands of the best educated men in Eng- 
land to-day view the question as connecting itself 
wholly with a transaction on paper, which must 
take place between a- distinguished ecclesiastic 
in Rome and other ecclesiastics in England. 
The same earnest men are also persuaded in 
their minds that millions of men and women, who 
are undoubtedly recognized by Christ himself as 
true disciples, must give a formal adherence to 
certain traditional statements, and go through a 



Unity of Believers 279 

form of outward conformity to doctrines and' 
usages which have never yet been found to pos- 
sess any spiritual vitality whatever, in order to 
realize the meaning of our Savior's wonderful 
prayer. Going eastward we find many millions 
belonging to ancient churches, all contending 
earnestly for the right of precedence, and all 
equally unwilling to concede that there can be 
any general union of Christian believers except 
on a basis of complete surrender of all the con- 
testants to one particular party. No one seems 
able to perceive what ought to be clear to the 
vision of any child, that even outward union is 
hopeless while such an attitude is maintained, and 
yet the whole world looks on and is expected to 
believe that this is an earnest contest for the 
sacred principle of Christian unity. 

If we come nearer home, and confine our 
inquiries to those known in general terms as 
evangelical Christians, we are again confronted 
by the most curious and in some cases painful 
misunderstanding of the extremely simple terms 
of our Savior's prayer. It is a singular and very 
instructive fact that in cases where good men 
have made a specialty of the subject of Christian 
unity, and have denounced all sects and denomi- 
nations as unscriptural, the very evil against 
which the protest is made, is fomented and in- 



280 The Church of Pentecost 

creased rather than lessened by the opposition. 
The most insistent advocates of the visible union 
of all Christian believers very often become, by a 
process which seems unsuspected by themselves, 
the most exclusive of partisans. Again and again 
the singular phenomenon may be witnessed of 
Christian men devoting a lifetime to denouncing 
the divisions which exist in the Protestant world, 
only to find at the close of life that they have 
added one or more new sects to the too numer- 
ous organizations which they found around them 
at the beginning of their labors. Indeed, it may 
be accepted as an invariable rule, that all attempts 
to insist on merely outward union exert an influ- 
ence against the real unity which our Savior had 
in view, and which was 'happily realized in the 
Church of Pentecost. It is believed by most per- 
sons who have had good opportunities for study- 
ing the subject, that a most encouraging growth 
in the spirit of true Christian unity has taken 
place during the present generation; but the 
most superficial observer must see at a glance 
that this advance has been brought about, not 
by attempts at articles of union written on paper, 
but by devout Christians on their knees calling 
upon a common Father in heaven, and trusting 
in the common Elder Brother in whose name 
they draw near to the mercy-seat. 



Unity of Believers 281 

We need not be left in doubt for a moment as 
to what our Savior meant in his farewell prayer 
with his disciples. He did not refer to anything 
which was unattainable, nor did he look forward 
to the distant future when his high ideal might be 
realized among believers on earth. The time was 
at hand when this blessed spirit of unity was to be 
illustrated in the lives of living men and women. 
The practical meaning of these memorable words 
was clearly exhibited to men and angels, when in 
the Church of Pentecost the whole multitude of 
disciples lived from day to day a life of love, and 
peace, and purity, which enabled the historian to 
say of them that they were all "of one heart and 
one soul." These Christians lived in the wicked 
city of Jerusalem. They lived among enemies, 
and were watched and suspected in their public 
and private life. They were subject to all the 
temptations which are common to servants of 
God in a world like ours, and yet they were able 
to exhibit in their daily lives the full meaning of 
our Savior's wonderful prayer. They were one; 
they were one in their love for Christ and for one 
another; one in their faith and devotion to the 
service of God ; one in the spirit of sacrifice which 
animated them ; and one in the hallowed affection 
which seemed to make the whole Church one 
vast family circle. 



282 The Church of Pentecost 

We are not to infer, however, that this blessed 
unity which affected the lives of these good men 
and women at so many different points, in any 
way interfered with the individuality of any be- 
liever. We do not read that they were one in 
opinion. What their views were concerning 
many of the questions which have agitated the 
minds of modern theologians we have now no 
means of ascertaining; but it would have made 
no difference if Philip had given special promi- 
nence to free moral agency, while Stephen seemed 
more impressed with the conviction that he was 
moving in harmony with agencies which had 
been predestinated from all eternity to co-oper- 
ate with him in his work. It is rarely a good 
omen to find Christian teachers making light of 
Christian doctrine; but on the other hand, it can 
not be doubted that the insistence upon agree- 
ment in all important subjects, and upon many 
which are not important, by many of our modern 
churches, has worked no good and much evil. 
The thoughtful student of theology who is ac- 
customed to respect conscience in study as well 
as in action, instinctively revolts against mental 
restraints which were unknown in the Church of 
Pentecost. 

Nor was the unity of these Christians in the 
Church of Pentecost one which interefered with 



Unity of Believers 283 

the ordinary avocations of life. It is evident that 
most of the people continued to live in their 
former homes, and we find no reference whatever 
to a general abandonment of their pursuits ; nor 
can we suppose for a moment that individuals 
found their personal tastes materially changed, in 
any respect, by the change which came over their 
moral natures when they received the enduement 
of the Holy Spirit. The union was one of the 
heart, and we may see in the world around us a 
thousand illustrations of the fact that persons of 
different tastes and different dispositions may yet 
live together in perfect harmony. Indeed, it 
sometimes seems as if a special affinity is often 
discovered between persons who are opposites in 
character. A husband and a wife may be oppo- 
sites in their personal tastes, and yet be perfectly 
united in guiding their family, and through long 
years of life on earth they may live together with- 
out a jar to their peace, without a note of discord 
to remind them of any personal unlikeness, and 
without an hour's cessation of the love and faith 
which they plighted to one another in the days 
of their youth. The same phenomenon occurs 
constantly among Christians. The love of Christ 
seems at one time to conceal differences until 
they become invisible, and at other times to make 
these differences add variety to the common life 



284 The Church of Pentecost 

which is led by those who might have been ex- 
pected to find personal association intolerable. 
As a matter of fact, we may often find among 
devout Christians illustrations of this law as strik- 
ing as those which occur in the family. Men who 
differ in all things else are found often living in 
perfect harmony as Christians. Two men may 
belong to different political parties, may have 
different social tastes, and may engage in widely 
different pursuits, and yet in the Church of Christ 
they will be found living together, year after year, 
in bonds of unbroken affection. Friends wonder 
at it, and sometimes pass a remark on the sub- 
ject, but do not pause long enough to remember 
that only a miracle of love brings about the re- 
sult. When this love becomes a common bestow- 
ment from above, implanted by the Spirit of God 
and maintained as a living power from day to 
day and from year to year, the prayer of our 
Savior does certainly seem to refer to a state of 
things in our age. As a matter of fact, that mar- 
velous prayer is realized by many believers on 
earth to-day. We would perhaps search in vain 
to find any considerable number of Christian dis- 
ciples united together in a single organization 
like the Church of Pentecost, of whom it could be 
said that they were all of one heart and one soul ; 
but while we can not find such an aggregate of 



Unity of Believers 285 

believers, we do find all over our poor world very 
many Christians who realize in their daily lives 
the full meaning of our Savior's prayer. Such 
Christians are meek and lowly in heart ; they are 
unselfish, in the practical sense of that word ; they 
prefer one another in honor; they think no evil, 
and offend not with the tongue. Speaking for 
myself, I may say that, through a long and some- 
what varied experience, I have not met many such 
Christians ; and yet I rejoice to be able to say that 
I can recall no period in my life when I did not 
know some to whom these words would apply. 
I have known some men and women for years 
who have never had their feelings hurt by the 
omissions or slights of friends, who have never 
had a grievance to complain of, who have never 
been offended, and with whom it has always been 
impossible for the most contentious persons to 
maintain a quarrel. They are always at home 
with all those who love the Lord Jesus Christ. 
They find something good in every sermon, gain 
some strength in every prayer-meeting, and are 
refreshed in spirit, where others complain of dull- 
ness and languor. 

While it is true that the unity to be sought is 
not that of harmony of opinion, or agreement 
concerning plans of labor, yet it is a remarkable 
fact that diverse and even discordant views are 



286 The Church of Pentecost 

often harmonized in a wonderful way under the 
influence of special manifestations of the Holy 
Spirit. This is especially true in matters relating 
to the common interests of the Christian com- 
munity. In such cases the union of heart and 
soul may always be expected to influence the 
mind and will, and hence it will usually be found 
that spiritually-minded Christians strive to be of 
one mind, so far as plan and purpose are con- 
cerned. In such cases there may be a change of 
opinion on the part of some, a spirit of concession 
on the part of others, and a recognition of Divine 
leading on the part of all, which make it easy for 
the whole company to arrive at a satisfactory 
conclusion. If the Christians of the present day 
could become of one heart and one soul, in the 
primitive sense of these words, the divisions of 
Christendom would soon cease to cause grief to 
the friends, or joy to the foes, of the Christian 
faith. As long as organization continues to be 
a law of life, Christian believers may be expected 
to form organizations both for mutual well-being 
and common service ; but the idea of such organ- 
izations becoming rivals, much less opponents, 
must soon become too intolerable for longer 
sufferance. 

It is a sad fact, but one which can hardly be 
questioned, that even among what are sometimes 



Unity of Believers 287 

called "advanced believers," the subject of Chris- 
tian unity is hardly understood. The unity 
for which Jesus prayed can not share its room in 
the heart with jealousy, or envy, or personal 
dislike, or petty enmity, or personal ambition, or 
any of the great brood of personal grievances 
which the average Christian is too' prone to 
tolerate, or, it might be said in some cases, to 
cherish. If an evangelist, for instance, insists 
upon absolute submission on the part of others, 
but will concede nothing himself; if the leaders 
of a revival are jealous in petty matters of preced- 
ence; if prominent leaders of holiness meetings 
are found disputing by the way in a spirit not 
wholly unlike that which disturbed the first dis- 
ciples on a certain notable occasion; if leading 
exponents of doctrine can not agree, and if the 
pure milk of the Word often seems to turn sour 
in their vessels, while their teaching yields neither 
sweetness nor nourishment, the inference is un- 
avoidable that the parties concerned have as yet 
failed to grasp the full meaning of the Pente- 
costal measure of blessing. . No possible "suc- 
cess," no possible measure of "blessing," can 
compensate for the absence of the peculiar grace 
which makes all believers, in deed and in truth, 
one in Christ Jesus. 

It is impossible to place too high an estimate 



288 The Church of Pentecost 

upon the practical value of these hallowed Chris- 
tian graces. We all preach Christ, but too often 
forget that if we would have the world give heed 
to our words and become convinced of his Divine 
mission, we must exhibit before the gaze of men 
that greatest of all moral miracles, the actual 
union of holy men and women in a bond which 
makes them, amid all the toil and turmoil of daily 
life, of one heart and one soul. Hear our Savior 
pray : "I pray for them . . . that they also may 
be one in us; that the world may believe that 
Thou hast sent me. . . . That they may be made 
perfect in one, and that the world may know that 
Thou hast sent me, and hast loved them as Thou 
hast loved me." We can not expect — we have 
no right to expect — that the world will accept 
our testimony concerning Christ, while we lam- 
entably fail to exhibit in its blessed fullness the 
power of that 'hallowed name to unite us in a 
living and loving fellowship which impresses all 
beholders, because it is not earthly, but divine. 
The power of prayer, the very meaning of 
united prayer, can never be fully understood by 
the Christian world -till the unity of the Church 
of Pentecost becomes a common experience 
among multitudes of those who bear the Chris- 
tian name. While it is still blessedly true that 
one lonely prophet on the mountain-top may 



U»ity of Believers 289 

summon the winds and the stormcloud by calm 
prevailing prayer, yet the praying power of the 
Christian world must be that which goes up from 
united hearts. The supplicants must "agree," 
must be of one heart in desiring, of one purpose 
in asking, and of one faith in expecting a re- 
sponse to their petition. If added power attends 
the prayer of two or three, what transcendent 
power may we not expect to attend the prayer 
of a hundred, a thousand, a million believers? If 
all true believers on earth could only unite, not 
in repeating the words merely, but in uttering 
from the heart, and bearing it as a daily burden 
on the heart, the first petition of our Lord's 
Prayer, "Thy kingdom come," the nations would 
be shaken, and the kingdom of God would begin 
to advance with mighty strides towards universal 
triumph. 

The attainment of the unity of Pentecost 
would duplicate — nay, add tenfold to — the work- 
ing efficiency of any company of associated 
believers, who have become accustomed to the 
ordinary experience of mingled accord and dis- 
cord which too generally exist in the modern 
Church. If my missionary brethren will pardon 
the personal reference, I will venture to say that 
it has of late become deeply impressed upon my 
mind that the weakest spot in their work is found 
19 



290 The Church of Pentecost 

here. I do not intimate that they are more de- 
fective than other Christians; but they have 
abundant need to be in advance, and to rise above 
the low standard which prevails in the home 
Churches. They, of all men, need to be of one 
heart and one soul. The comparative isolation 
in which many of them live, and the close per- 
sonal association with fellow-missionaries into 
which they are brought, have a tendency in many 
cases to call attention to personal peculiarities in 
an unpleasant way, and the result is that while 
a measure of love and unity prevails in the sev- 
eral little communities, it is not wholly after the 
pattern of the Church of Pentecost. The mis- 
sionaries preach and teach, and do what they re- 
gard as their duty faithfully enough, but their 
testimony can not impress the multitudes around 
them as it would if the conditions laid down were 
fully met. The mission station, of all places, 
should be a miniature of Pentecost. Its little 
community should live in personal fellowship 
with Christ ; they should breathe an atmosphere 
of love; they should walk in the light of God, and 
ever impress those who know them best as be- 
longing to a kingdom which is not of this world. 
If all the missionaries of the world could to-day 
be made of one heart and one soul according to 
the standard of the Church of Pentecost, the 



Unity of Believers 291 

change would be equivalent to an immediate re- 
enforcement of a thousand, or perhaps I ought 
to say of ten thousand, fully-equipped new 
workers. 

The best hearts in the Christian world to-day 
are yearning for a fuller manifestation of the love 
of Christ in the hearts of believers everywhere. 
This desire has been implanted by the Spirit of 
God, and should be cherished as an earnest of 
better things to come. God is calling to his 
people everywhere, not only to live as disciples 
of Christ, but to love as such. Surely it is not too 
much to hope or to expect that a great revival 
of the spirit of fraternal love is at hand, and that 
this will in its turn usher in a mighty work of 
salvation among the world of unbelievers. A re- 
turn to the modern Church of the spirit of sweet 
unity which pervaded the Church of Pentecost 
will mean a return of the power with which the 
very name of Pentecost is associated in every 
Christian mind. 



XIX 
CHRISTIAN COMMUNISM 

"And all that believed were together, and had all things 
common ; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them 
to all men as every man had need. Neither said any of them 
that aught of the things which he possessed was his own ; but 
they had all things common. Neither was there any among 
them that lacked ; for as many as were possessed of lands or 
houses, sold them, and brought the price of the things that were 
sold, and laid them down at the apostles' feet ; and distribution 
was made to every man according as he had need." — Acts ii, 
44, 45 J iv, 32, 34, 35. 

The organization of society is a subject which 
has been beset with peculiar difficulties from the 
earliest ages, and these difficulties seem to in- 
crease rather than diminish as the race advances 
in civilization and intelligence. In the political, 
industrial, religious, and social world alike, un- 
satisfactory conditions have always prevailed, and 
still prevail. The dumb millions of earth, if given 
a voice, would not by any means always speak 
words of pleasantness and peace. Wealth shows 
a tendency to become tyrannical, liberty to be- 
come licentious, religion proscriptive, and poli- 
tics corrupt and corrupting. In a world needing 
workers everywhere, millions starve in what 
seems to be enforced idleness. At every rich 
292 



Christian Communism 293 

man's gate sits one or more representatives of the 
Lazarus of the parable. War is still the arbiter of 
nations, and if not more brutal, is still in its es- 
sential spirit as murderous as in the days of hu- 
man savagery. In England multitudes grovel in 
vice and deepest poverty ; in America the tramp 
and the beggar have overspread the land during 
the present generation. The groans of the poor 
are ascending from every Christian land, and the 
ablest and the best thinkers of the age seem to 
fail utterly in their efforts to solve the great 
problem of a satisfactory and permanent organ- 
ization of human society. 

It might have been expected that a great 
reformer like Jesus, one who came to proclaim 
ultimate truths, to teach men their whole duty 
to their fellow-men, to unbind burdens, to open 
prison doors, and to proclaim a law of liberty and 
love for all mankind, would have dealt in a prac- 
tical way with this problem of the ages, by giving 
the race a framework for the organization of so- 
ciety on a final and satisfactory basis. Had Jesus 
been less than Divine, he might very possibly 
have attempted something of this kind; but his 
method was very different. He taught great 
principles ; but, unlike Moses, the gave the world 
no code of laws. He knew that the truths which 
he taught would eventually transform society, 



294 The Church of Pentecost 

but he was too wise to provide a rigid frame- 
work for a society which must be ever chang- 
ing. He introduced a new life into the world, 
but left that life, according to the law which 
governs all life, to build and develop character on 
a model of its own. The invisible something 
which we call life, hidden in the seed, will build 
in its own way, and in time fashion a stately tree, 
but all the wise men of earth would fail if they 
attempted to construct a model according to 
which this life must build. Jesus not only taught 
great truths, but came to bestow a new life upon 
the world, and this life he gave in abundant 
measure. The transformed character, wherever 
it is received, begins to contribute in a measure 
toward the ultimate transformation of society. 
We thus see that, in the very nature of the case, 
the full and final adjustment of social problems, 
and the removal of the disorders of society, can 
only take place when all men everywhere become 
subject to Christ's law of holiness and love. Sin 
is the disturbing element of society, while love is 
the law by which a saved world will yet be able 
to live in sweet and abiding harmony. 

It must be evident to the most superficial, ob- 
servers of current thought, that social questions 
have been coming more and more to the front 
during the past quarter of the century. Maga- 



Christian Communism 295 

zine literature is full of the subject; the lecture 
platform and the pulpit alike give it prominence ; 
politicians begin to notice it, timidly it is true; 
and yet in a way which shows that they dare not 
longer neglect it. Associations of a hundred 
kinds have been formed to promote some interest, 
real or supposed, of the general question ; but in 
the midst of all the theorizing, and debating, and 
lecturing, and preaching, to which we are treated, 
it must be confessed that, up to the present date, 
all parties have failed to indicate any basis or plan 
upon which society could be reconstructed. In- 
telligent men everywhere feel instinctively that 
the question is beyond them. A score of failures 
can be quoted on the part of earnest and enthu- 
siastic men, who, often at great personal loss to 
themselves, have tried on a small scale, by creat- 
ing a miniature world of harmony and thrift, to 
show what kind of a world ours should be. 
Among other cases which are sometimes thus 
quoted, is the alleged failure of the first disciples 
in the Church of Pentecost. 

I have used the word "failure," but do not for 
a moment concede that the example furnished 
by the Christians of Pentecost was in any sense 
a failure. Some good people are disposed to 
apologize for the first Christians, by assuming 
that they were simple-mined men with an honest 



296 The Church of Pentecost 

purpose, but without the practical knowledge 
or skill which such an experiment demands. 
Others, again, have called attention to the fact 
that they paid dearly for their temerity by pau- 
perizing the Church, and by encouraging a spirit 
which made the Christians of Jerusalem for many 
years the beggars of the East. We do not, how- 
ever, find any facts upon which to base such 
assertions as these. What the early Christians 
did was simply to follow implicitly the law of love 
which had been implanted in them by the Holy 
Spirit. Some of them possessed houses, others 
lands, and others goods of various kinds ; but all 
alike were ready, when they saw brethren and sis- 
ters in need, to share with the needy to the full 
extent of their ability. The language of the nar- 
rative is somewhat misleading, especially to a 
careless reader ; but it is clearly evident that there 
was not a general sale of all manner of property 
by all the members of the infant Church. It is 
definitely stated that while men continued to 
''possess" property, they refrained from calling it 
their own. They simply were acting in strict 
accordance with the Savior's teachings, and re- 
garded themselves as God's stewards, holding in 
trust certain forms of property for their Master. 
The needy around them were many, probably 
owing to the fact that very many of the new con- 



Christian Communism 297 

verts were strangers, and so common was the 
sight of men setting their property, and placing 
the money at the disposal of the apostles for their 
brethren in need, that it could truthfully be said 
of the community that they had all things in 
common ; but in his reprimand to Ananias and 
his wife, Peter distinctly reminded them that the 
property had been their own, and that they need 
not have sold it if they had not so chosen. It 
thus appears that these good men and women 
were governed absolutely by the law of love, and 
the result was a beautiful picture of true Christian 
character, such as our world has rarely seen in 
later days. 

The difference between the spirit which ani- 
mated the Christians of Pentecost and that which 
forms the battle-cry of the modern communist, 
is as absolute as the difference between heaven 
and earth. The communist demands his full share 
of all the wealth in the community. His gospel 
is one of demand for self. The Christian of Pen- 
tecost, on the other hand, contended only for the 
right to bestow his goods upon others. The one 
party seems ever to be grasping at the posses- 
sions of others, while the other party is seeking 
with equal earnestness for the high privilege of 
giving to others that which belongs to himself. 
Thoughtful persons become alarmed when they 



298 The Church of Pentecost 

think of millions of half-maddened and desperate 
men, threatening to pull down the very pillars 
which support society in their mad effort to 
equalize the wealth of society at large; but on 
the other hand the faintest suggestion of fear 
vanishes from every mind and heart when men- 
tion is made of earnest men and women whose 
greatest desire in life is to share everything of 
value with their fellow-creatures. 

In the spirit and practice of those early Chris- 
tians there was nothing which in the most remote 
degree was calculated to pauperize the com- 
munity. The Church at Jerusalem, which at a 
later day became somewhat noted as the recipient 
of alms from the whole Christian brotherhood of 
Europe and the East, was a different body alto- 
gether. There may have been special circum- 
stances which would account for the indigence of 
those later Christians, if the facts could be discov- 
ered ; but be the cause what it may, the Church of 
Pentecost was animated by no such mean spirit, 
and its pure and noble example has been a bene- 
diction in every age, through all the centuries 
which have followed. If the spirit which ani- 
mated those saints of God could be breathed into 
the hearts of all who in our own day bear the 
Christian name, the work of transforming the 
world would soon seem to have commenced in 



Christian Communism 299 

earnest. So far as we can now discover, no better 
method for reconstructing society has yet been 
suggested to the Christian world than that which 
was illustrated at Pentecost. If our world is to 
be made Christian at all, it must be after the same 
pattern which was exhibited in the beginning. 
The spirit of self-sacrifice must be an active 
power among the living men and women who 
bear the Christian name. Not only must houses 
and land, silver and gold, bonds and stocks, be 
given up for the welfare of Christian brethren 
•and sisters, but life itself must be held subject 
to any emergent call which may be made upon 
it. The Christian is taught that, as his Master 
freely laid down his life for him, so must he be 
ready to give his life for the brethren. This is 
the meaning of Christian devotion. It is a devo- 
tion which must be illustrated in the lives of 
Christians everywhere, and if so illustrated it 
becomes a mighty power in the moral and social 
world. 

But the thought is no doubt occurring to the 
reader that the brief episode which occurred in 
the history of the Church of Pentecost, while 
beautiful and suggestive as an illustration, yet 
belongs to a far-off era, and even -if reproduced 
in our day could accomplish but little in solving 
the gigantic problems which confront us. It is a 



300 The Church of Pentecost 

mistake, however, to think of this event as be- 
longing alone to an age forever gone by. The 
story has been brought -down to us not merely 
that it might serve as an illustration, but to reveal 
to us our own possibilities. Bands of believers at 
a million different points on the globe, might 
within twenty-four hours bring back again to 
earth the scenes of the Pentecostal morning, and 
the power of the Pentecostal Church. Instead 
of one Church of Pentecost, there might be in 
this, our own favored day, a million of equal 
power and equal purity, startling nations, and 
blessing the whole human race. A million such 
Churches would very soon put a new meaning 
into the discussion of social problems. Hopeful- 
ness and confidence would take the place of per- 
plexity and discouragement, while the helpful- 
ness which would be developed everywhere, 
would go very far towards taking the bitterness 
out of the lives of millions, and putting the whole 
social problem upon a new footing throughout 
Christendom. All questions might not be finally 
settled by such a movement, but for the first time 
in history the factors which enter into the solu- 
tion of the great social problem would begin to 
be understood. 

A well known literary gentleman asked a mis- 
sionary in a public meeting at New York why he 



Christian Communism 301 

did not receive converts by the thousand when 
they offered themselves, and thus give them all 
the advantages of Christian nurture without de- 
lay. "When I was a boy," replied the missionary, 
"in the days when we had to make our own bul- 
lets, I learned that before I could make the 
bullets I must melt the lead." It often seems as 
if hosts of wise men in our day are attempting 
the impossible task of organizing society on new 
lines, and giving it new forms, without first mak- 
ing it plastic by what might be called a melting- 
down process. Men and women must be changed 
in character, radically changed, before human 
society can be reconstructed. As long as self- 
ishness is the controlling principle of men and 
nations, our poor earth will continue to be the 
scene of ever-recurring disorder and trouble. It 
is useless to appeal to the State, or to fancy that 
better laws will cure all social ills. The State is 
but an aggregate of individuals, and until the in- 
dividuals which compose it are changed in spirit 
it will be unable to afford any material relief. 
Christian men and women; that is, men and 
women who possess, and in their lives illustrate, 
the spirit of Jesus Christ, alone can do for our 
world what many fondly dream can be accom- 
plished by the State. When the whole vast mass 
of living humanity becomes so far leavened by 



302 The Church of Pentecost 

the Spirit of Christ as to be subject to truly 
Christian influence, very great changes may be 
expected to take place in the framework of soci- 
ety; but what those changes will be, and how 
they will be brought about, no one can predict, 
and perhaps no one can conjecture; but very few 
thoughtful persons can be persuaded to believe 
that the present state of things can continue 
permanently, while the millions who have been 
taught to pray for the coming of Christ's king- 
dom on earth, instinctively look forward to a final 
triumph of their King, and a reconstruction of 
society on lines dictated by the spirit of universal 
love. 

Christian communism differed from all other 
systems which in later days have borne that 
name, in that it was kind, tender-hearted, con- 
siderate of the poor, and helpful to the helpless. 
It is one thing to fight for the rights of labor, it 
is quite another thing to strive to see that the 
hungry are fed, the naked clothed, the homeless 
sheltered, and the widow and the orphan cared 
for. In the Church of Pentecost every one in 
need became an object of immediate care, while 
the company of dependent widows became so 
numerous that a special organization had to be 
provided to meet their wants. Who were these 
widows? Whence had they come? and how had 



Christian Communism 303 

they become dependent on those first Christians? 
It is difficult to believe that they were all relatives 
of the first converts. No explanation of their 
presence is given, but it would seem more than 
probable that those early Christians, filled as they 
were with the love which had animated their 
Master when on earth, felt instinctively drawn to 
care for a class of people who, above all others, 
were needy and dependent. A possible illustra- 
tion of the question thus raised has recently oc- 
curred in certain missionary circles, in India. For 
a dozen years or more it had been noticed that 
the question of providing for widows was forcing 
itself on the attention of certain members of one 
of the leading missionary societies in North India. 
At first applications for providing relief for wid- 
ows, and more especially permanent homes for 
them, were received with little favor. It did not 
seem to be missionary work, in the proper sense 
of the word ; but in the meantime the conviction 
seemed to grow in certain minds that it was an 
obligation which could not be set aside. The 
number of applicants increased, and every year 
the question presented itself in a more impera- 
tive form. The famine in 1897 added to the 
gravity of the situation, and it was soon discov- 
ered that indigent widows 'to the number of sev- 
eral hundred were knocking at certain missionary 



304 The Church of Pentecost 

doors tor admittance. What was to be done with 
them? To send them away seemed impossible, 
to receive them seemed almost equally impossi- 
ble. No missionary appropriation had been 
made for them, and no provision for their wants 
could be discovered. 

At this point the precedent of the Church of 
Pentcost was brought to mind, and there seemed 
a certain parallelism in the two cases. Whether 
those first widows in Jerusalem had all been con- 
verted before they were received into* the com- 
munity as dependents upon the bounty of the dis- 
ciples, we can not tell ; but these widows in India 
all came expressing a willingness and even a wish 
to be received as Christians. The more the ques- 
tion was discussed, the more the conviction 
seemed to take shape in the minds of those re- 
sponsible for the final decision in the case, that 
the widows could not be sent away without griev- 
ously offending against "the law of love which 
Christ had enjoined, and which the Holy Spirit 
had written upon the hearts of the missionaries. 

A careful survey of the modern Church does 
not impress one with the thought that even the 
most evangelical of Christians in our day are 
following closely in the footsteps of the first dis- 
ciples. The care of the widow and of the orphan 
is hardly recognized at all by the Churches as 



Christian Communism 305 

such. A collection may be made now and then 
for the poor fund, and in cases of special need 
Christian charity may be dispensed in a proper 
spirit and with a free hand; but every Church 
organization should partake of the character of a 
family. The joy and sorrow of one should be the 
joy and sorrow of all. Communism becomes 
a sacred term when it is used to express the 
common interests, the common feelings, and the 
common hopes of each one in a community. In 
no family on earth coul-d we conceive of such a 
thing as part of the children being full, while 
others were habitually hungry; nor could we 
think it possible that some of the children would 
be clothed richly while others were almost naked. 
There might be personal differences, it is true, 
and these might be somewhat distinctly marked ; 
but if love does not unite all upon a common 
level, it certainly forms a bond of union which 
renders it impossible for any members of the 
common communion to be wholly neglected. 
Hence every Church should provide for its own 
widows and its own orphans. If this were done, 
there would still be ample need throughout 
Christendom for great orphanages and houses of 
refuge for the widow and the stranger; but so 
far as those connected with a modern Christian 
Church are concerned, they should be provided 



306 The Church of Pentecost 

for by those who are members of the little com- 
munity to which they specially belong. 

It is inevitable that a Church, even when it 
begins its career among the poor and the lowly, 
will in time seem to grow away from these classes. 
This is not owing to any lurking social pride 
among the members, but solely to the fact that 
every Christian community rises, as if by a natu- 
ral law, in intelligence, culture, and social influ- 
ence; but all Christians should see to it that 
social elevation and prosperity do not prove a 
snare to them, or to the Church with which they 
are connected. All Christians have a mission to 
the poor. No one bearing the name of Christ 
can afford to be unlike his Master. We should 
become the joyous burden-bearers of universal 
humanity. The poor, the prisoner, the orphan, 
the widow, the sorrowing, the tried and tempted, 
the falling and the fallen, the sick and the dying, 
the stranger and the outcast, — these are the 
classes among whom the Master moved, and to- 
ward whom he was always drawn. It is enough 
for the servant that he be as his Lord. In this 
blessed sense, Jesus of Nazareth was the Com- 
munist of the ages. 



XX 
SOCIAL LIFE AND WORSHIP 

"And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine 
and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And 
they continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and break- 
ing bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness 
and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favor with all 
the people."— Acts ii, 42, 46, 47. 

A single glance at the brief history of the 
Church of Pentecost makes it very evident, not 
only that there was an active social life among the 
membership, but that this was one of the most 
prominent features in the organization of the 
little community. "All they that believed were 
together." Whether in the temple or in their 
several homes, their association was of the most 
intimate and affectionate character. The Church 
was apparently an enlarged reproduction of the 
family. A holy relationship united the people in 
a bond which was as real, and in some respects 
almost as strong, as that which united the mem- 
bers of the several families in separate house- 
holds. The affection which was felt and mani- 
fested among the people was very much like that 
of kindred. Indeed, as a matter of fact, they were 
kindred, united together as sons and daughters 

307 



308 The Church of Pentecost 

of a common Father, and bearing the name and 
moral image of a common Elder Brother. In 
view of this relationship we see a beautiful con- 
sistency in the remarkable social life which was 
witnessed in this first Christian community, a 
life which must have been the more striking be- 
cause of its contrast with the rigid social con- 
ditions which prevailed among the caste-bound 
Jews of that age. 

It does not appear that any Gentiles were 
included, in the membership of the Church of 
Pentecost, except those belonging to alien races 
who 'had adopted the Jewish faith, and were 
known as proselytes. No one had been excluded, 
but no one had as yet applied for admission 
to the Church. While nearly every nation had 
representatives among Peter's hearers on the day 
of Pentecost, these had all become members of 
the Jewish community by conforming to the laws 
of Moses, and formally professing the Jewish 
faith as it was then known throughout the world. 
Some were recognized as Greeks, it is true ; but 
these were mingled with the rest, and no line 
of demarcation separated them from those who 
were Hebrews by birth. The social conditions 
were therefore not unlike those which prevail 
among devout Christians of England and Amer- 
ica at the present day. Artificial barriers did 



Social Life and Worship 309 

not stand in the way, save such as were created 
by differences in culture, wealth, or social stand- 
ing. Whatever these may have been, it is evi- 
dent that they gave way before the all-pervasive 
spirit of fraternal affection which was one of the 
fruits of the indwelling Spirit. Within the limits 
of the new community caste lines were wholly 
obliterated. The disciples associated together 
freely and constantly, frequented one another's 
homes, dispensed and accepted hospitality with- 
out grudging and without questioning, and thus 
set before the world a beautiful picture of social 
life such as perhaps has never been fully repro- 
duced in later times. 

This remarkable social phenomenon must 
have been the more impressive because of the 
striking contrast which it presented to the best 
phases of social life among the Jews of that age. 
It was an age of social friction and intense parti- 
san feeling. Sect was arrayed against sect. 
Friendships were narrow and selfish, and enmity 
bitter and unrelenting. The poor were slighted 
or oppressed, t)he neglecters of the Jewish ritual 
were classed together as despised sinners, and the 
servants of the Roman Government as social out- 
casts, while the religious system of the era had 
become an intolerable burden both to life and of 
conscience, A deep and solemn gloom had set- 



310 The Church of Pentecost 

tied upon the people, and their social life had per- 
haps never presented fewer attractive features 
than at this period. In such a city as Jerusalem 
then was, and in the midst of such a society as 
was then found there, the little Christian com- 
munity must have presented an extraordinary 
spectacle, and we need not wonder that for a brief 
time the disciples became the subjects of a re- 
markable but dangerous popularity. They were 
held in "favor with all the people." 

We very naturally are prompted to inquire 
concerning the details of this social life ; but the 
story is told in barest outline, and we only know 
that the people were closely associated together ; 
that they lived in wonderful harmony; that re- 
ligion was intimately blended with their social 
intercourse ; that a law of general and generous 
hospitality prevailed among them; and that the 
poor were not only freely recognized, but their 
personal wants were admitted as a legitimate 
claim upon the bounty of the community. Our 
knowledge of the practical details of their daily 
life is thus very limited, and it is no doubt well 
that it is limited. Had it been ordered otherwise ; 
had a minute account of the daily family routine 
been recorded, a multitude of ordinary incidents 
would long since have been accepted as sacred 
precedents, and instead of having the spirit of 



Social Life and Worship 311 

the hallowed little community held up for our 
imitation, we might have been burdened by arti- 
ficial standards of social life resting upon no au- 
thorized basis, and wholly wanting in adaptation 
to the wants of people living in different eras and 
under varying conditions. What we need to-day 
is to study the spirit which pervaded the Church 
of Pentecost, and to note the main outlines of 
social life which distinguished the new commu- 
nity, not only from the Jewish people, but from 
every other civilized community which the world 
has ever seen. 

A single glance at the inner life of the Church 
of Pentecost makes it abundantly evident that it 
contained no nook or corner for the social re- 
cluse. The unwritten law of our social nature is 
revealed in striking characters in the composition 
of every group which we see in that anointed 
community. No one lived, or tried to live, to 
himself alone. Very many upright persons 
shrink from society, and seek in solitude that pe- 
culiar life which they find most congenial to their 
own tastes and feelings, and such persons often 
fall into this error through the mistaken notion 
that in holding aloof from their fellows they are 
exhibiting a meek and quiet Christian spirit ; but 
no such persons were found among the first 
Christians. Personal tastes count for very little 



312 The Church of Pentecost 

when the whole being is consecrated to Christ, 
and every Christian is under a personal social 
obligation to such fellow-believers as are provi- 
dentially near him. We mig J ht, indeed, put the 
case much more strongly, and say that the rule 
is of wider application. The Christian should 
cultivate kindly relations with all men. He 
wrongs himself and he wrongs his neighbors 
when he declines to maintain neighborly rela- 
tions with them. It would add immensely to 
the power of the Church of Christ to-day, if all 
believers were to exhibit to the world the cordial 
and warm social intercourse which formed so 
prominent a feature in the life of the first Chris- 
tian Church. 

To complete this beautiful picture of free 
social intercourse, we must add the generous rule 
of hospitality which seems to have prevailed 
among the people. Some difference of opinion 
has existed among Bible students as to the exact 
meaning of the phrase, "breaking of bread." 
Some maintain that it refers solely to sacramental 
services, while others understand it as applying 
to the free hospitality which was dispensed, with 
possibly the Lord's Supper held in connection 
with it. Without pausing to enter upon this dis- 
cussion at any length, it may be sufficient to re- 
mark that the expression, "did eat their meat 



Social Life and Worship 313 

with gladness," is one which could not have been 
appropriately applied to a memorial of their cru- 
cified Lord, with all the solemn and even sad 
associations which were connected with the rite. 
Whatever else may or may not have been in- 
cluded in the statement, we can not doubt that 
the believers were frequent partakers of a free 
and bountiful hospitality, and this formed a very 
striking feature of their social life. Such a hos- 
pitality is what might have been expected in a 
community so pervaded by a spirit of love and 
friendship as were the Christians of Pentecost, 
and the striking picture which we have of the 
new community would have been very incom- 
plete without this feature. In all communities, 
even among savages, joyous occasions are always 
marked by common feasts, and public holidays, 
weddings, family reunions, and all manner of joy- 
ous gatherings become festive occasions. The 
feast is a joy token all the world over, and has 
been in all ages. The first Christians were a 
joyous people, and their daily lives were so full 
of joy that a free interchange of hospitality is 
precisely what might have been expected under 
the circumstances. 

The so-called progress of modern society is 
not wholly favorable to the cultivation of the 
virtue of hospitality; for it should never be for- 



314 The Church of Pentecost 

gotten that it is a Christian virtue. It is not only 
commended, but commanded in the New Testa- 
ment, and can no more be lightly thrown aside 
than one of the Ten Commandments. The tend- 
ency to escape the burden of household cares, 
the artificial style of living which artificial life 
demands, the growing expense of a hospitality 
which is losing the simplicity that is its greatest 
charm, and the rigid exactions of so-called soci- 
ety, are all operating seriously against both the 
letter and the spirit of what ought to be known 
as Christian hospitality. Such a hospitality 
ougfht to be both generous and general. With- 
out interfering with the sacred rites of the family 
circle or the association of kindred, in every 
Church all classes should frequently eat the bread 
of gladness together with singleness of heart. I 
recently visited a London church in which, at 
the close of a weekly service, refreshments were 
served in an adjoining room. A Church in Cal- 
cutta has for many years maintained the custom 
of providing light refreshments at the close of 
two weekly meetings, which all attendants are 
at liberty to partake of, and the informal gath- 
erings which thus follow the public meetings are 
often more owned and blessed of God than the 
meetings themselves. If all classes are welcomed 
alike to such gatherings, not only rich and poor, 



Social Life and Worship 315 

but, more important still, saint and sinner, the 
simple hospitality which is offered will seldom, 
if ever, fail to carry a blessing with it, both to 
those who give and those who receive. 

At the sacred table of our Lord, rich and poor 
are expected to meet together on a basis of per- 
fect equality ; but if this is the only occasion when 
they can thus meet together, the spectacle will 
fall very far short of the precedent which was 
set for all time in the Church of Pentecost. Every 
Christian Church should have a representation of 
the poor among its membership. No Church can 
afford to do without the widow, the orphan, and 
the poor. When these three classes are all ab- 
sent, the Church practically ceases to be Chris- 
tian. Its Bible is marred with blank spaces scat- 
tered all through its pages. Few persons are 
aware of how large a portion of God's Word is 
devoted to these children of affliction, and the 
misguided Church which aims to maintain a sanc- 
tuary for a select few of earth's favored ones, not 
only becomes guilty of a glaring inconsistency, 
but loses an inheritance of priceless privilege and 
blessing. A mixed assembly of believers repre- 
senting all classes, from the poorest to the most 
wealthy, is often a scene of exceptional social en- 
joyment, and by the exercise of a little wisdom 
and tact such a blending of associated Christians 



3 1 6 The Church of Pentecost 

can be accomplished without any special diffi- 
culty. I was recently present at a popular recep- 
tion which was tendered to a very prominent 
clergyman, and to which, by special request of 
this good pastor, the entire membership of his 
Church, including many poor, had been invited. 
Everything was in the best style, the attendance 
was exceptionally large, the party was a great 
social success, and the presence of the humble 
poor added much to the interest of the occasion. 
It did not lessen the interest in' the least to have 
it reported quietly that a poor woman had been 
overheard making the remark that she was par- 
taking of ice-cream for the first time in her life. 
The free social intercourse of the first Chris- 
tians did not lessen the sanctity of the home- 
life. The home is a relic of Eden, and among 
Christians should ever be regarded as a hallowed 
family sanctuary. The spirit of modern worldli- 
ness is almost openly hostile to all that is holiest 
and sweetest and best in this truly divine insti- 
tution, and now, more than ever before, the spirit 
of Pentecost must be invoked to protect this 
sacred shrine from profanation. So far from hav- 
ing the home made less sacred by the free social 
intercourse which prevailed among the people, it 
was the family institution with all its holy associ- 
ations which made such a social life possible. 



Social Life and Worship 317 

What was the order of worship in the Church 
of Pentecost? God be thanked that no one can 
answer this question, else we should all have long 
since been hopelessly bound to ritualistic forms 
wholly unsuited to our own times. The people 
waited diligently upon the apostles for teaching, 
and were devoted to "prayers," no doubt both in 
public and privately. In another chapter the 
nature and necessity of the teaching given to the 
first converts is discussed at greater length, and 
it may suffice to remark here that all new dis- 
ciples, no matter how cultured they may be in 
other respects, stand in urgent need of careful 
instruction in nearly all that pertains to the spir- 
itual life. As for the prayers mentioned, it is cer- 
tainly worthy of remark that hardly a single 
paragraph of the prayers which have been heard 
for centuries in Christian Churches had then been 
written. The prayers of those hallowed days 
must have been very simple, both in word and the 
range of thought, and they must also have been 
indited by the Holy Spirit to an extent but sel- 
dom witnessed in modern services. It would 
seem that all were alike devoted to a life of dili- 
gent inquiry and prayer, and a close and intimate 
"fellowship'' or personal association existed be- 
tween the converts and their spiritual leaders. 
The word fellowship, as used in reference to this 



3 1 8 The Church of Pentecost 

association, must not be understood as convey- 
ing any mystical meaning. The apostles had 
knowledge, experience, and wisdom quite in ad- 
vance of the great body of the disciples, and this 
was freely imparted to those who gathered 
around them. That which was shared freely by 
both parties was held in a common partnership, 
or fellowship. 

The prayers spoken of would seem to have 
been those of associated believers, but no doubt 
private as well as public prayer held a very prom- 
inent place among the people. The apostles 
asked for leisure to devote to the ministry of the 
word and prayer, and it is evident that the obliga- 
tion of earnest prayer was recognized by every 
one. These first Christians were a praying peo- 
ple, and a due regard for prayer must be accepted 
as one of the features of any modern association 
of believers aspiring to walk' in the footsteps of 
the believers of Pentecost. Prayer is distinctly a 
Christian exercise, and every true Church of 
Christ ought to be an organization of praying 
people. In the closet, at the family altar, in every 
home of affliction, in the prayer-meeting, and in 
the public sanctuary, the whole body of believers 
should be as ready to pray as to sing. A weekly 
prayer-meeting attended by a few dozen persons 
is of course much better than nothing; but such 



Social Life and Worship 319 

a meeting would have seemed strangely out of 
place if it had been held in the upper room where 
the Christians of Pentecost received their anoint- 
ing. We are living in an era of highest privilege, 
and God's promise in its fullness is ours to-day, 
assuring every Church and every individual that 
he will pour upon his people the spirit of grace 
and supplication, and Christians everywhere 
should be known as a praying people. Two 
stated prayers on Sunday, and three or four at a 
week-night meeting, fall very far short of what 
we might rightfully expect from a praying 
people. 

A striking illustration of the marked absence 
of the spirit of prayer in modern Christian assem- 
blies may be witnessed with each annual return 
of the Week of Prayer. The program which is 
usually observed is so wanting in the elements 
which enter into united prayer, that it had often 
been remarked that the term "Week of Prayer," 
is a misnomer ; instead of being a week of prayer, 
it too often becomes merely a week of speeches. 
The universal Church of Christ has not yet 
learned how to pray with that union of faith, 
purpose, and feeling which characterized the 
first believers. Subjects are allotted to persons 
who are to lead in prayer, and these topics are 
discassed in a manner which partakes largely of 



320 The Church of Pentecost 

the form of public addresses, and only in a minor 
degree does the element of prayer enter into the 
service. The idea of united prayer throughout 
the world should be that of united millions and 
tens of millions, lifting up heart and voice before 
the common mercy-seat of all believers, and when 
this ideal is fully realized we may expect to see 
blessings from above sent down in response to 
the cry of pleading millions, which shall in very 
deed shake the nations. 

It may be safely assumed that in connection 
with the fellowship spoken of in the Church of 
Pentecost, there weremany meetings partaking 
more or less of the character of what in recent 
years have become somewhat widely known as 
social or fellowship meetings. If no other evi- 
dence pointed to this conclusion, it might be in- 
ferred from the fact that in our own age, and in- 
deed in every age, the free outpouring of the 
Holy Spirit always leads to this peculiar form of 
spiritual service. This may readily be accounted 
for when we remember that it is the mission of 
the Spirit to testify of Christ, and this testimony 
is usually present in the form of. grateful recitals 
of the abounding mercy, the saving power, and 
the ever active love of Christ, as revealed in the 
hearts of believers. Meetings in which this kind 
of testimony holds a prominent place, as is stated 



Social Life and Worship 321 

In another chapter, partake of a prophetic char- 
acter, and, if genuine, are invariably attended by 
marked manifestations of spiritual power. The 
old-time Methodist class-meeting was in its best 
days a fellowship meeting, and thousands of little 
assemblies all over the world to-day partake of 
the same character, although not conducted with 
the same formality. It goes without saying that 
such meetings must be free from rigid formality, 
and also free from external constraint. Com- 
pulsion is fatal to the very idea of such a fellow- 
ship. Next to the stated ministry of the Word, 
there is perhaps no spiritual duty or privilege of 
more supreme importance to the Church than 
the free testimony of the general body of Chris- 
tian believers to a risen, living, and present 
Christ. 
21 



XXI 
THE BIBLE OF PENTECOST 

If any group of modern Christians of average 
intelligence were asked to define the relation of 
the Bible to the Church of Christ, it is probable 
that a majority would at once reply that the 
former is the foundation on which the latter 
stands, and that the Christian Scriptures and 
Christianity are inseparable. The* Bible has been 
called the "religion of Protestants," and the rev- 
erence with which it has been held by the Prot- 
estant world since the days of Martin Luther 
would seem to justify such a title ; but the words 
must be received in a very qualified sense. The 
inspired Word of God is a powerful ally to the 
Church, and is essential to its best interests, and 
perhaps to its permanent vitality; but Christ him- 
self is the true foundation of the Church, and this 
fact should never for a moment be forgotten 
when we are considering the character and claims 
of the Scriptures. To illustrate this truth, we 
have only to remember that the Church of Pente- 
cost, the purest body of Christian believers our 
world has yet seen, did not possess in writing a 

322 



The Bible of Pentecost 323 

single line of our present New Testament. The 
man who was to write nearly all the doctrinal 
portions of the book was as yet a bitter enemy 
to the followers of Christ, and nothing could 
have seemed more improbable than that he 
would in later years become the theologian of 
the Christian Church. The Church of Pentecost 
was certainly not founded upon our modern 
Bible, especially in its present form: but it must 
not be too hastily assumed that it possessed no 
inspired teachings on which to rely, or that no 
part of bur present Gospels were known to 
the first Christians. The Church of Pentecost 
very probably possessed a larger portion of the 
sayings of Jesus than are found in the New Testa- 
ment of to-day, and in addition to this had access 
to the whole of our Old Testament, with portions 
of which they seemed to be perfectly familiar. 

It is probable that our Savior in most respects 
adopted the usual style of Oriental teachers. His 
greatest sermon was delivered while seated on the 
grass ; and another great discourse was delivered 
while seated in a boat, with his audience standing 
on the beach. Before beginning his address in 
the synagogue of Nazareth, he sat down, and his 
great prophetic discourse on the last days was 
delivered while seated on the Mount of Oilves, 
with Jerusalem in full view before him. He was 



324 The Church of Pentecost 

more of a teacher than a preacher, and, like all 
Oriental teachers, did not hesitate to repeat his 
lessons as often as occasion called for them. Not 
a little labor has been wasted by harmonists in 
attempts to explain seeming discrepancies in the 
accounts given of these discourses. Many of 
these variations can be accounted for in a moment 
when we remember that our Savior not only re- 
peated his lessons over and over again, but that 
he very probably took no pains to maintain abso- 
lute verbal uniformity in repeating a parable or 
expounding a truth. Teaching in this manner in 
an age when few could read or write, it may be 
accepted as certain that a class of hearers who, 
like similar persons in illiterate countries at the 
present day, acquire a remarkable power in mem- 
orizing what they hear but once or twice, must 
have gathered selections of the sayings of Jesus 
and rehearsed them to others gifted in like man- 
ner, until in time every community of disciples 
would have one or more reciters of the Master's 
teachings. We can thus readily see how the 
words of Jesus must have been accurately re- 
corded on many tablets of memory, and how, 
after his death and the rapid increase of disciples, 
the demand for such reciters must have led to a 
large increase in their number. In this way, and, 
it might perhaps be added only in this way, can 



The Bible of Pentecost 325 

the points of agreement, and also of ever-recur- 
ring divergence, found in the three Gospels, be 
accounted for. The historical incidents inter- 
woven with the teachings of the Master had no 
doubt gained currency in the same way. Each 
reciter would state the fact as it had appeared to 
him, or as it had been stated to him ; and in an 
age when critical methods were unknown the 
variations were left unchallenged, and in fact 
were of no practical importance. 

When Bishop Taylor visited India as an evan- 
gelist in 1872, he soon became noted for his habit 
of repeating some of his sermons, with but slight 
variations, verbal or otherwise. While he was 
preaching in Bombay I met a young girl of Ori- 
ental parentage who had frequently heard him, 
and was equally amused and surprised to hear her 
repeat whole sections of his discourses. She 
could do this with wonderful accuracy, and ap- 
parently without any special effort. While living 
in a remote station among the Himalayas I once 
met two young girls, apparently about fifteen 
years of age, who were unable to read a single 
word in any language, and yet who could repeat 
long village epics hour after hour without hesita- 
tion, and apparently without any break in the 
story. In the absence of the printed page it is 
probable that such oral records are passed on 



326 The Church of Pentecost 

from one generation to another, especially among 
people who have made permanent progress in 
civilization, and are gifted with some degree of 
mental activity. 

We can thus readily see that the Church of 
Pentecost must have been wonderfully favored in 
having among its members many who had heard 
the Master's teachings from the very first, and 
who were perfectly familiar with his daily life 
and his leading doctrines. His very words must 
at times have been imprinted on many minds in 
characters which time could never efface, and it is 
very probable that those early disciples not only 
possessed all that has come down to us through 
the medium of the four Gospels, but much more. 
It is certainly a striking fact that when Paul 
reminded the Ephesian elders of the "words of 
the Lord Jesus," he quoted words which do not 
appear among the recorded sayings of our Lord 
which have come down to us. Our Savior taught 
the people everywhere, and taught almost con- 
stantly, and we may accept it as certain that in 
our own New Testament we have little more than 
the fragmentary remains of the discourses of Him 
who spake as never man spake. 

But we are less interested in the amount of 
inspired Scripture to which the Church of Pente- 
cost had access than in the manner in which it 



The Bible of Pentecost 327 

was used. The Holy Spirit had descended on the 
waiting disciples, and a great audience had been 
collected together, when Peter was prompted to 
rise and address the people. He had become a 
new man; a new spirit had been given to him, 
and he spoke with amazing power. Without 
apology, without explanation, without a word of 
attempted proof, he appealed to the words of one 
of the oldest and most revered of the prophets, 
and proclaimed that the mysterious prediction of 
ages long gone by was now fulfilled in their 
presence. He spake like a man of authority; he 
quoted freely from the prophetic Psalms, and 
expounded their hidden import in a way which 
utterly startled his hearers. He proclaimed the 
risen Jesus as enthroned at God's right hand in 
heaven, and as the One who had shed forth the 
Spirit which was to renew the hearts of men, and 
in time renew all the kingdoms of earth. In a 
moment the whole question of inspiration had 
been placed on new ground. It was no longer a 
question of possibility, of theory, or of history, 
but of present fact, of direct and active spiritual 
agency working under definite conditions, and 
producing certain definite results. The Holy 
Spirit had recognized certain portions of the 
Hebrew Scriptures, had put a new and fuller 
meaning into them, and had given them a power 



328 The Church of Pentecost 

such as has never yet in the whole course of hu- 
man history attended any other writing's of mor- 
tal man. The words of Joel, and the more recent 
words of Jesus, had alike been recognized by the 
Holy Spirit, and had thus been made the medium 
of an enlarged revelation of God's will and man's 
obligation and privilege. 

The question of inspiration should always be 
treated as one of facts. We speak of certain 
material substances as conductors or non-con- 
ductors of electricity. An electric current can be 
sent a vast distance through a copper wire, but it 
can not be carried a single inch through a me- 
dium of glass. God's Spirit employs God's Word 
as a special medium through which to convey 
truth to human minds and hearts ; and although 
he does not use it as the sole medium in sudh 
communications, yet he employs it in a special 
sense, and in a measure in which he employs 
nothing else. The seal which was put upon the 
inspired Word at Pentecost has been affixed in 
like manner, and often with like attendant power, 
to similar proclamations of Divine truth a mill- 
ion times since that eventful morning. What- 
ever may be said or thought concerning the 
Bible, whatever theory of inspiration we may 
adopt or reject, the fact remains that God owns 
the Book, and to the Church of Pentecost was 



The Bible of Pentecost 329 

given the signal honor of first demonstrating this 
fact in such a way that it can never again be suc- 
cessfully gainsaid. 

The presence of the Holy Spirit with tine 
written Word, so wonderfully illustrated in the 
Church of Pentecost, is not to be assumed as 
operative apart from human co-operation. If the 
inspired words quoted by Peter with such irre- 
sistible effect had been printed and merely dis- 
tributed among the people, it is not probable that 
any such effect would have followed. God does 
no doubt often bless the printed page, but rarely 
in such a way as to dispense with the personal 
co-operation of living disciples. The presence of 
the apostles with their expectant faith was a 
necessity on that eventful day. In the work of 
saving the world God co-operates with man, and 
to refuse or withhold human co-operation is to 
reject God's revealed plan for accomplishing this 
supreme purpose. The world can not be con- 
verted by distributing Bibles among the heathen. 
The prophecy of Joel would have remained al- 
most buried in obscurity to the present hour, if a 
company of believers had not put themselves in a 
position where the Holy Spirit could apply it ac- 
cording to the Divine purpose, and thus bring to 
light its hidden meaning and reveal its amazing 
power. 



330 The Church of Pentecost 

The inspired Word of God is an agency of 
wonderful power when thus co-operating with 
believing and obedient disciples. In the Old 
Testament it is represented as an agent sent forth 
upon a specific mission, and clothed with power 
to insure its success. "It shall not return unto 
me void, but it shall accomplish that which I 
please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto 
I sent it." (Isaiah lv, n.) In the New Testa- 
ment it is clothed with even greater power : "For 
the Word of God is quick [living] and powerful 
[energizing], and sharper than any two-edged 
sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of 
soul and spirit, and of tthe joints and marrow, and 
is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the 
heart." (Hebrews iv, 12.) On the lips of Peter 
the Word of God must certainly have seemed 
clothed with this kind of power. It carried con- 
viction to many hearts; it revealed the guilt of 
those who a few weeks before had been clamor- 
ing for innocent blood; it illuminated minds 
which had been shrouded in darkness ; it clothed 
weak and timid men and women with power; 
and it brought startled souls into the immediate 
presence of the living God, and made them 
tremble as if in full view of coming judgment. 

We who live in these closing years of the nine- 
teenth century may learn some needed lessons 



The Bible of Pentecost 331 

from the manner in which the Christians of Pen- 
tecost received and used the Word of God. First, 
we may note the fact tihat they were not in bond- 
age to the letter. The Scriptures were quoted 
with a remarkable degree of freedom, no attempt 
being made to give a reproduction of the very 
words, but rather a forcible statement of the 
leading thought to which reference was made. 
The reverence for the letter of Scripture which is 
so marked in many Christian circles, is really of 
Jewish origin, and does not seem to have entered 
into the thought of the early Christians. Quota- 
tions from the Septuagint version of the Old 
Testament were made without any special regard 
to verbal accuracy, and of course no theory of 
verbal inspiration could have been upheld for an 
hour in that favored era. 

In the next place the progressive character of 
revelation was not only illustrated anew, but the 
power of the inspired Word, when illuminated by 
the Spirit to present old truths in a new light, 
marks a new era in Christian doctrine and in 
Scriptural interpretation. Some of the Psalms 
were so adapted to Christian uses and to the pre- 
sentation of Christian truths as practically to 
become new. That which holy sages had dimly 
seen in the long era which preceded Pentecost, 
now seemed to burst upon the view on almost 



33 



The Church of Pentecost 



every prophetic page of the Old Testament. The 
Scriptures with which the early believers had been 
familiar all their lives, in a single hour had seemed 
to receive an enlarged inspiration. Many illus- 
trations of this are found in the pages of the New 
Testament, and m'any also in what might almost 
be called the instinctive interpretation given by 
the spiritually-minded of every age since Pente- 
cost. The counsel of Elder John Robinson to the 
Puritan emigranfs who were to sail for the un- 
known wilds of America in the Mayflower, to look 
for new light to be revealed to them from the 
sacred page, was one of the most remarkable 
utterances which has been heard during the Prot- 
estant era. The Bible is a mine of exhaustless 
truth, and the Holy Spirit in every age assists the 
devout student who searches its pages for the 
truth of God as for hidden treasure. What the 
Spirit did for Peter when preaching on the day of 
Pentecost, by adapting certain of the Psalms to 
the character and mission of Christ, the same 
Spirit has been doing in every age since, by help- 
ing millions of believing Christians to interpret 
other songs of ancient Zion in such a way as to 
make them sound the praises of David's Greater 
Son. 

Take, for instance, the seventy-second Psalm. 
We find no clear reference to this ancient song 



The Bible of Pentecost 333 

in the New Testament. Critics tell us that it was 
not written by David, but probably by Solomon ; 
and, in any case, it is conceded that its original 
subject was Solomon, and not a future Messiah. 
Modern criticism has been unrelenting in strip- 
ping this magnificent production of every ele- 
ment which would entitle it to a place among the 
Messianic Psalms, and very recently a devout 
writer of Sunday-school lessons presented it to 
his youthful readers as a tame document intended 
to instruct rulers how to govern their subjects; 
and yet, despite all critics and all criticism, the 
best spiritual instincts of Christendom will con- 
tinue to make the seventy-second Psalm testify 
of Christ and of the triumph of his kingdom. 
Why? Simply because the Holy Spirit has long 
since put his seal upon the song, and given it a 
deeper and broader and higher meaning than the 
Hebrews of Solomon's era could have compre- 
hended. 

In like manner the Holy Spirit undoubtedly 
guides all devout and teachable readers of. the 
inspired Word in their search for a knowledge of 
the mind and will of God. The Spirit's aid is not 
promised to students of Greek idioms or Greek 
tenses, as such, but to seekers after truth ; and as 
Peter was enabled to put a new and fuller mean- 
ing into the passages which were brougtht before 



334 The Church of Pentecost 

him, so all sincere readers of other portions of 
the Bible may expect, and certainly do receive, a 
light which makes God's revealed Word worth 
much more to them than to those to whom it was 
first given. The consensus of the spiritually- 
minded believers of Christendom has thus fixed 
the interpretation of large portions of Scripture, 
to which little or no reference is found in the New 
Testament, and in doing so has so breathed the 
spirit of the New Testament into the Old as to 
make the latter, in some important respects, a 
new book. The story of Jacob wrestling with the 
angel; of Gideon and his little band equipped 
with trumpets and concealed torches; of Elijah 
among the caves of Cherith, or on Carmel at the 
supreme crisis of his life ; and a large number of 
the Psalms, — have all received an impress from 
the Spirit of truth which has made them mean 
infinitely more to a reader of the present day 
than they could have meant to a devout Hebrew 
before the era of Pentecost. The general con- 
sensus of spiritually-minded Christians is, in the 
main, a safe guide to the inquirer. The Holy 
Spirit given at Pentecost is still in the Church, 
and still guides the lover of truth into all the truth 
which his best and highest interests require. 

With the history of the Church of Pentecost 
before us, it would be impossible to conceive of 



The Bible of Pentecost 335 

those early Christians as engaged in the kind of 
petty defensive warfare which has occupied the 
time of too many apologists. If, for instance, 
some critic had come forward to question the 
accuracy of the description of the bed on which 
Og, king of Bashan, slept, and had gravely ob- 
jected that no human being could have been nine 
cubits high ; or if another had objected that since 
no dumb beast possessed orgass of speech, the 
story of Balaam having been rebuked by his ass 
is incredible, which one of the apostles would 
have been detailed to answer such objections? 
We may well assume that no quibbler would have 
dreamed of entering that fervid circle of anointed 
believers with such questions ; but if any one had 
done so unlikely a thing, it is pro'bable that the 
only reply given him would have been, "Well, 
what of it?" Those first believers did not stake 
their gospel on immaterial side issues. They no 
doubt believed that Jonah had been swallowed by 
a great fish ; but the story of Jonah had nothing 
to do with the work they had in hand, or with the 
mission which had been given them. Their Bible 
was as yet incomplete; but they were men of 
practical common sense, and did not attempt to 
deal with portions for which they had not a 
present need. It is a mistake, and a very serious 
mistake, for Christians in our day to devote too 



336 The Church of Pentecost 

much time to objectors and quibblers. A hun- 
dred questions of Biblical interpretation remain 
to be settled, and it can never be safely said that 
Christianity must stand or fall with the record of 
isolated events which have long since ceased to 
be of any practical importance. 

Another important lesson to be learned from 
the manner in which the teachers of Pentecost 
expounded the Word of God is that of avoiding 
the too common practice of putting strained and 
wholly-unauthorized meanings into quotations 
from the sacred writings. Too often in our mod- 
ern Churches devout hearers are obliged to listen 
to expositions which are purely fanciful, and the 
same frailty is extremely common among some 
modern writers. The men of Pentecost were 
robust expounders of the Word of Truth, and al- 
lowed no latitude to the play of fancy, nor did 
they feel any obligation laid on them to find hid- 
den meanings in passages which did not plainly 
convey a direct lesson to the reader. We can 
not conceive of such a thing as Stephen preach- 
ing a series of sermons on the Song of Solomon, 
not because the Holy Spirit moved him to do so, 
but because he perceived that the book was not 
very generally read, and feared that its inspiration 
might in time be questioned ; nor can we think 
of such a thing as Barnabas selecting texts for 



The Bible of Pentecost 337 

exposition from the first nine chapters of First 
Chronicles, not because God had given him a 
message to the people from those ancient records, 
but solely because he wished to emphasize the 
fact that all Scripture was profitable for whole- 
some doctrine. It is perhaps a natural, but none 
the less a vain thought, for poor mortals to at- 
tempt to strengthen the buttresses of the inspired 
Scriptures by insisting that every verse and every 
line is a special revelation from God, equal in im- 
portance and authority to every other verse and 
line in the book. It does not make the Book of 
Esther any more spiritual, nor any more mani- 
festly inspired, to select texts from it for Sunday 
discourses. The Holy Spirit can defend and take 
care of all the Scripture which he has inspired, 
and he will not fail to put his seal upon every 
truth which he wishes the men of this generation 
to receive. 

"But is not the Whole Bible inspired? Can we 
dispense with a single page or a single verse of 
the book? Are we to understand that, in the 
Church of Pentecost, certain portions had been 
discarded?" 

No, it certainly does not appear that any por- 
tion had been discarded; but only such portions 
were used as were adapted to the time and the 

place, to the occasion and the audience. A 
22 



338 The Church of Pentecost 

long reef may contain gold in every portion ; but 
parts have never yet been explored, while other 
parts have been worked over, and have yielded 
their treasure to men of an earlier generation. 
The whole reef is a gold-bearing quartz, but prac- 
tical and sensible miners will work in those places 
where they can best get access to the treasure. 
A youth who had been awakened to a sense of 
his guilt as a sinner went for counsel to a friend, 
who wisely advised him to read and study the 
fifty-third chapter of Isaiah. What could we 
think of an adviser who should send such a youth 
to read and study the seventh chapter of First 
Samuel, in which he would find a detailed ac- 
count of Saul's search for his father's asses? The 
question involved in such a case is not one of in- 
spiration, relative or absolute, but of practical 
common sense; and common sense is one of 
God's precious gifts which can never be safely 
ignored. 

God's revealed truth is to a certain extent im- 
bedded in historical statements dating far back in 
the annals of the race, and much of this history 
has been manifestly copied from official records, 
such as seem to have been kept by all Eastern 
monarchs in ancient times. Some portions of 
this history possessed a certain importance in a 
far-off age, but are of only incidental value, or 



The Bible of Pentecost 339 

even Interest, to believers of the present day, and 
yet they form a portion of the reef in which is 
found the fine gold of living truth, and are not to 
be treated with either indifference or contempt. 
The believers of Pentecost rendered two valu- 
able services to their successors of all ages. They 
made some precious contributions to the Bible, 
which are now the common heritage of the hu- 
man race, and they showed the preacher, the 
teacher, and the devout seeker after truth, how 
to use the inspired Word. They demonstrated 
the vitality and power of that Word, and pointed 
out to the Christians of all ages the secret of suc- 
cess in preaching Christ and his gospel. Happy 
indeed will be the life of any modern Church 
which learns the secret of walking by the same 
rule, and using the sword of the Spirit with the 
same Divine skill and power. 



XXII 
ELEMENTARY CHURCH POLITY 

The Church of Pentecost was not disturbed 
during its brief history by any discussion of ques- 
tions of Church polity. No mention of the sub- 
ject appears in the brief history of the Church, 
and it is very probable that even the thought of 
such a question never occurred to the simple- 
minded men and women who composed the 
membership. This is the more surprising in view 
of the fact that the circumstances seemed to call 
for special care in effecting and maintaining an 
organization. This was the first Christian 
Church, and it might have occurred to its respon- 
sible leaders that it would probably be regarded 
as a model for later organizations, and that every- 
thing done or left undone would probably as- 
sume the authority which precedent quickly 
gives ; but no considerations of this kind seem to 
have disturbed the people, and leaders and fol- 
lowers alike quietly accepted the duties of the 
hour as from day to day these were presented to 
them. The Church did not lack organization, 
but it was provided with no constitution or by- 
3.40 



Elementary Church Polity 341 

laws ; it knew nothing of questions of precedence 
or order, and it contemplated no change of pro- 
cedure. Its organization was in a way spontane- 
ous, and the authority of its leaders was instinct- 
ively recognized, but does not appear to have 
been at the time formally assumed. The ideas of 
these first Christians were so primitive that no 
doubt if any one so inclined had attempted to 
introduce the question of Church polity, it would 
have been a somewhat difficult task for him to 
make his meaning intelligible to the people. 

In view of the absence of all reference to the 
subject, it would seem beyond all reasonable 
doubt that it must have been the Master's plan 
and purpose that the organization of his Church 
should be left to the providential exigencies 
which in due time would present themselves to 
his people. Ecclesiastical and civil constitutions 
alike must ordinarily be the result of growth and 
providential developments, and all attempts to 
provide a framework to which events and ten- 
dencies as yet unknown must be made to con- 
form, must inevitably end in failure. The great 
Christian organizations of all ages have been the 
products of providential indications given from 
time to time, and hence we need not be surprised 
to find that the first Christian Church was 
launched upon its career wi't'h scarcely any plan 



342 The Church of Pentecost 

of organization whatever. A dozen men were 
recognized as leaders, not apparently by appoint- 
ment, but by virtue of the fact that they had as- 
sumed the duty of interpreting the meaning of 
the manifestations of Pentecost, and had appealed 
to the people to repent and be saved. One of 
these men had assumed priority of leadership, 
following probably a precedent which had been 
established during the Master's ministry. The 
people who had received the Word and been bap- 
tized, at once accepted without exception, and 
apparently with the most absolute confidence and 
love, the leadership of these apostles, and thus 
the Church drifted into an organized form with- 
out going through any formality in doing so. It 
became a Christian Church, having the ministry 
of the Word and the Christian sacraments, and 
also having a government and an efficient admin- 
istration; and yet the spirit of fraternal love so 
permeated the Whole community, that the ele- 
ment of authority was probably hardly felt or 
thought of by the people. The government was 
purely "ministerial," as at the outset it must have 
been ; but it did not long remain so. 

In our own day a similar procedure is con- 
stantly taking place, and must continue to do so 
until the whole race becomes Christian. The 
writer of these lines has had official connection 



Elementary Church Polity 343 

with more than a thousand local Churches in 
which the above method of organization was fol- 
lowed. One or more men appear as preachers, 
and a score or more of men and women receive 
the Word at their lips and are baptized. These 
converts instinctively look for further direction 
to those Who bring them to Christ, and it be- 
comes as natural a duty for the strangers to as- 
sume the responsibility of guides and rulers as 
it would be for parents to assume charge of their 
own children. Theories of Church government 
count for nothing in the face of practical facts of 
this kind. The pioneer and organizer must for 
a time, and w T ithin limits, be a ruler, and he 
should learn to rule wisely and well. Nor need 
any one be surprised or alarmed at this assertion. 
Before the close of the next century a million 
Churches — possibly many millions — will be or- 
ganized, in what are called heathen lands, on this 
same basis. An outgrowth of this kind is inevi- 
table, and Scriptural as well, and should excite no 
manner of misgiving in any mind or heart. 

This earliest and simplest form of Church 
government manifestly rested upon the consent 
and approval of the people, nor did Peter exer- 
cise any authority independently of his brethren. 
In every case the apostles seem to have acted to- 
gether in perfect harmony. It is worthy of note, 



344 The Church of Pentecost 

too, that when it was found advisable to make 
over certain financial interests to seven laymen, 
these rulers of the Church very wisely asked the 
general body of believers to nominate suitable 
persons for this duty, and only gave those named 
a formal appointment after they had secured this 
mark of approval from the Church. This no 
doubt seemed like an unimportant incident at the 
time, and probably attracted very little attention ; 
but beyond all doubt it marked the introduction 
of a vital principle into the government of the 
Church. It was a recognition of the principle of 
representative government in the Christian 
Church, and a precedent which was to affect civil 
government as well in later times. 

While it is very true that the founders of 
Christian churches in non-Christian communi- 
ties must, as a general rule, assume the adminis- 
tration of Church affairs, yet such control should 
always be distinctively assumed as temporary 
only, and laymen should be admitted to a share 
in the government at the earliest possible day. 
The precedent established by the apostles in the 
Church of Pentecost should be accepted as bind- 
ing in all ages and in all countries. Questions of 
personal right and privilege do not affect the case 
so much as the more vital question of benefit to 
the Church, and the wisdom of making a sensible 



Elementary Church Polity 345 

division of labor. The apostles based t'heir pro- 
posal on the latter ground exclusively. They 
could have administered the finances, but other 
duties of greater importance required their ex- 
clusive attention, and hence they asked to be 
released from this somewhat harassing respon- 
sibility. 

We here see a distinct line of demarcation 
drawn between those interests which were spirit- 
ual and those which were what, in modern 
phrase, would be called "secular." The fact that 
several of the men who were first set apart to 
manage the finances subsequently became able 
ministers of the Word, does not lessen the im- 
portance of the earlier arrangement by which a 
certain number of men asked to be released from 
business cares that they might be able to give 
themselves wholly to "the ministry of the Word 
and to prayer." The moral instincts of intelli- 
gent men and women in every age recognize the 
wisdom, to say nothing of the necessity, of main- 
taining this distinction. A man who affirms that 
he is called of God to the ministry of the Word, 
and who solemnly registers in public a vow that 
he will give himself wholly to this duty, can never 
again dabble in secular business, or become an 
operator in the semi-gambling speculations of the 
business world, without a sacrifice of spiritual 



346 The Church of Pentecost 

power, to say nothing of moral influence and per- 
sonal reputation. Few persons are aware how 
fatal mistakes of this kind have been to large 
numbers of Christian ministers, especially in the 
United States, during the past thirty or forty 
years. Hundreds upon hundreds have made 
shipwreck of their ministerial character, while a 
still larger number have been shorn of their spir- 
itual power, and condemned to go halting 
through life, simply because they persisted'in at- 
tempting the impossible task of serving two mas- 
ters. In view of the sad results which so often are 
conspicuously seen attending such attempts, it is 
amazing that so little attention has been called to 
this subject. Indeed, it is hardly recognized as 
an evil or a danger at all. Again and again the 
spectacle has been witnessed of great ecclesias- 
tical bodies apportioning their official appoint- 
ments, many of which are of a secular character, 
to ministers only, and it has on some occasions 
been noticed Uhat the keenest ministerial compe- 
tition seemed to be for positions which mani- 
festly ought to have been given to business men. 
If it be objected that the seven men set apart 
to manage Church finances were formally or- 
dained by the laying on of hands, and thus be- 
came the pioneers of a distinct order in the Chris- 
tian ministry, it is sufficient to remark that the 



Elementary Church- Polity 347 

ceremony of laying hands upon persons about to 
be inducted into office did not always by any 
means carry with it the idea of appointment to 
the Christian ministry. One of these very men 
had hands laid upon him a second time, long 
after he had been intrusted with the most respon- 
sible ministerial duties, when about to set out 
from Antioch with young Saul of Tarsus on his 
first missionary journey. It was a very appro- 
priate thing for the Church at Antioch to do, but 
the ceremony added nothing whatever to his 
ministerial standing. The early Christians had 
been accustomed, as Jews, to see a similar cere- 
mony performed when men were to be inducted 
into very obscure offices, and it no doub't seemed 
appropriate to them to observe a similar formal- 
ity in this case. The idea that trie laying on of 
hands must involve in every case a solemn min- 
isterial ordination, is a modern notion which is 
not supported either by direct affirmation or re- 
corded precedents in Scripture. 

So far as the general subject of Church polity 
is concerned, tihe two chief lessons which are to 
be learned from the example of the Church of 
Pentecost are : First, that no framework was fur- 
nished by our Savior to his disciples according to 
which all ecclesiastical bodies in all ages were to 
be organized ; and, secondly, that in each age and 



348 The Church of Pentecost 

in each nation Christians should carefully and 
prayerfully study the tokens which God in his 
providence gives them, and adopt the polity 
which seems to give promise of the best results. 
In trying to do this, wise men will soon discover 
that growth is a law of being, in the Church as in 
the individual, and hence we need never expect to 
find a perfect Church, adapted to all coming ages. 
A provision which is admirably adapted to the 
wants of the present generation may be unsuited 
to the next. New methods, new resources, new 
forms of organization may be called for, and while 
a fondness for change is to be discouraged, a fear 
of all change is equally to be deprecated. Chris- 
tian work is so varied, it reaches out in so many 
directions, it touches so many interests, that a 
flexible polity is needed by every organization 
bearing the Christian name. When a given plan 
or Church usage, whidh has long been manifestly 
blessed of God, seems, in spite of all efforts to the 
contrary, to be losing its hold on the people, it 
should not be too hastily assumed that this is a 
sign of waning spiritual life. It may be that ; but 
on the other hand it may be an indication that 
God would have us put something better in its 
place. 

Take, as an illustration, the "class-meeting," a 
well-known institution among Methodists. After 



Elementary Church Polity 349 

long years of unchallenged usefulness, this means 
ol grace has for a generation past been slowly but 
certainly losing ground. This may be a sign of 
spiritual decadence, or it may be a token from 
God that something better is needed. It may be, 
and very possibly is, a providential reminder that 
the class-meeting does not fully fill the place of 
an intelligent, faithful, and trained sub-pastorate 
in the Church ; or, in other words, that it does not 
provide a practical oversight of the whole mem- 
bership. A weekly meeting of a band of faithful 
Christians is a good thing in itself, but it can not 
be made to accomplish all that is involved in a 
full and thorough exercise of pastoral care. 

The Church of Pentecost stood alone in the 
midst of a hostile world, and hence we have no 
means of learning what its attitude would have 
been toward sister organizations if such had ex- 
isted. In the absence, however, of the direct 
intimation which such an example would have 
furnished, we may safely assume tihat the respon- 
sible parties would have felt themselves at liberty 
to use their best judgment, and would have fol- 
lowed what seemed to them the clearest tokens 
which God had given them. If each Church had 
retained an independent government, God would 
have accepted and blessed this polity; but if, on 
the other hand, they had decided to effect an 



350 The Church of Pentecost 

organic union, the same Heavenly Father would 
have smiled upon that arrangement. The king- 
dom of heaven is not meat and drink, nor is a 
peculiar form of Church polity that which con- 
stitutes the legitimacy of a Church. 

Organization, however, there must be. Or- 
ganization is a law of life, and a living Church can 
not dispense with it. Nor can the most success- 
ful aggressive work be done without it. What 
particular form of Church polity may prevail 
when our world becomes a Christian world,, can 
neither be seen nor surmised; but of one thing 
there seems to be no doubt whatever — until the 
world is converted, the universal Church should 
be regarded as a militant body, and in the unre- 
mitting efforts which should be made to win all 
nations for Christ there should be organization 
of the most effective kind. It matters little what 
official titles may be given to leaders, nor is it 
important that uniformity of organization should 
be observed, but the main point should never be 
overlooked. The militant hosts of our victorious 
Leader should be organized and drilled for serv- 
ice; for only in this way can they be led to such 
victories as tihe crisis demands, and such as God 
himself has taught us to expect. 



xxin 

SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP 

Human beings are so constituted that in many 
things they are accustomed to depend upon the 
leadership of their fellow-men. This is seen, not 
only in the obedience and trust rendered to their 
chief by savages, but also among civilized people 
of every grade. It is seen in the industrial world, 
as well as on the field of battle; in social move- 
ments, as well as in political contests; and is as 
conspicuous among spiritually-minded Christians 
as among the children of this world. In the 
Church of Christ active leaders are needed, not 
only to make an effective organization possible, 
but to take charge of the various kinds of work 
which may always be expected to grow up around 
a body of well-organized and active Christians. 
Such a body of believers, united by a bond of 
common faith and common love, and animated by 
a normal measure of spiritual vitality, may always 
be expected to develop leaders enough, not only 
to meet their wants, but in many cases to send 
forth help to those in greater need. It is a grave 
symptom in the condition of any Church to dis- 

351 



352 The Church of Pentecost 

cover that it has no power to develop Christian 
leadership, and it is a marvel that some of our 
modern Churches view without alarm their want 
of ability to raise up their own leaders. Some 
are even disposed to boast that they depend on 
other communities to supply preachers for their 
pulpits. It has been reported of one prelate that 
he felt no humiliation in remarking that more 
tlhan half of his clergy had come to him from 
other Christian denominations. To make the 
matter worse, young men are practically offered 
bribes to forsake their own familiar altars and 
accept more lucrative positions among strangers. 
Of course, it is a preacher's duty to go where his 
own enlightened convictions direct him ; but it is 
a significant, not to say humiliating, fact that 
among these changes of ministerial service it sel- 
dom happens that those who make the change 
do so at tihe cost of any pecuniary sacrifice. In 
nine cases out of ten, personal interest and 
changes of ecclesiastical relations seem to move 
in harmony. 

In the Church of Pentecost there seems to 
have been no lack of power to develop leadership, 
and no question of personal advantage could 
have been raised in the case of those who were 
advanced to positions of honor and trust. It is 
a remarkable fact that of the eleven original apos- 



Spiritual Leadership 353 

ties who belonged to this Church, only three are 
mentioned by name in the Book of Acts after the 
first morning of Pentecost. On the other hand, 
five persons who began their career as laymen, 
not only rose to prominence among their breth- 
ren, but became leaders of remarkable power, and 
occupied positions of commanding influence in 
after years. It would seem as if Peter himself had 
been eclipsed in service, if not in fame, by some 
of these new men ; while John, if more prominent 
in later years, was not at first so quick to see and 
grasp opportunities as some of his less favored 
lay brethren. A few of these notable men are 
worthy of special notice. Foremost among them 
stands the first illustrious martyr, 

Stephen. 

Of the previous history of this notable man 
nothing is known. He first appears among the 
laymen chosen to the office of deacon, but it was 
as a preacher that he seems to have rapidly risen 
to a leading position. So far as we can judge 
from the brief narrative of Luke, in a compara- 
tively short time Stephen had become the fore- 
most speaker and tihe ablest debater of the 
Christian community. We know very little of 
his character or work, save that he was spoken 
of as a man full of faith and power, and filled with 
23 



354 The Church of Pentecost 

the Holy Spirit. As a preacher he was aggres- 
sive, and his opponents found themselves wholly 
unable to "resist the wisdom and spirit with 
which he spoke." He was evidently a saintly 
man of fervid temperament, and it is easy to be- 
lieve that when he appeared before the Council 
his face was lighted up with a glow which re- 
minded those who saw him of their ideal of the 
shining face of an angel from the better world. 
Stephen had irritated his hearers by defeating 
them in argument; but it is evident that his 
special offense had been that of proclaiming the 
doctrine taught by his Master at Jacob's well. 
He was accused of speaking against the temple 
and against the law, and especially of proclaiming 
that Jesus of Nazareth would destroy the temple. 
It is evident that he had advanced by longer and 
more rapid strides than any of the eleven apostles. 
He had caught a glimpse of the spiritual nature 
of God's worship, of the wideness of God's mercy, 
and was impressed with the thought that instead 
of a building on a little Judean hill, the temple of 
God was high as heaven and vast as the universe. 
Heaven was God's throne; earth was his foot- 
stool. Why, then, talk of building a house for 
the Almighty, or making an earthly temple for 
his dwelling-place? 

We need not wonder that such a preacher and 



Spiritual Leadership 355 

such preaching led to an arrest, a public trial, and 
a judicial murder. It would seem from the frag- 
mentary report of the trial given by Luke, that 
Stephen had only entered on his defense, and 
was reciting certain notable events in the history 
of their fathers as a kind of preface to his address, 
when his glowing mind caught a glimpse of the 
wider freedom and more spiritual nature of a 
believer's privilege. Standing within the very 
confines of the temple itself, he cried out that God 
did not dwell in temples made with men's hands, 
and proclaimed that the whole wide universe was 
God's temple ; but he was rudely interrupted by 
his exasperated audience, who refused to hear 
him further. Then came the supreme testimony 
of this noble martyr. The hour of his release was 
at hand ; the Spirit of God filled his heart ; his lips 
were touched by an invisible coal from heaven's 
altar; and with glowing countenance and glow- 
ing words he told his hearers of the open vision 
which God was giving him. He saw heaven 
opened; he saw his Savior Christ, not only living, 
but glorified. There was no longer any place for 
argument. Testimony, living, burning testi- 
mony, was his last great resource ; and while his 
maddened enemies were still more exasperated, 
yet the testimony of Stephen was boldly given, 
and has been sounding down the ages ever since. 



356 The Church of Pentecost 

The triumphant death of Stephen is the first 
recorded death among the believers at Pentecost. 
The triumph was extraordinary, but is not to be 
regarded as wholly exceptional. While most per- 
sons die quietly as their natural faculties fail 
them, yet instances frequently occur in which "a 
believer's deathbed becomes a scene of extraor- 
dinary joy and triumph. In Stephen's case it is 
to be noticed that the glow appeared upon his 
countenance before he began his address, and not 
at the moment of death itself. Similar instances 
are of more frequent occurrence in our day than 
is generally supposed. A case not less remark- 
able than that of Stephen himself occurred re- 
cently at Darjeeling, India, where the six chil- 
dren of the Rev. D. H. Lee, with ages ranging 
from five and a half to seventeen, were swept' 
away by a midnight flood in the midst of dark- 
ness, tempest, and earthquake. One boy, Wil- 
bur, lived long enough to relate the particulars 
of the disaster, from which it appears that when 
told by the eldest sister that death was at hand, 
these children were not merely calm; they were 
joyous and triumphant. To quote from the story 
of the surviving boy, as related to his mother : 

"Mamma, I must tell you about Vida. She 
was praying with us, when the corner of the room 
cracked open. She sprang to her feet, her face 



Spiritual Leadership 357 

just beaming as she said, 'Children, the house is 
coming down, and we will soon be in heaven.' ' 

The mother interrupted to ask, "But were 
you not afraid, Wilbur?" 

"No, mamma, God had taken all the fear 
away. We were all so happy. We felt just as 
if we were on the train and coming home to you. 
We said to each other, 'Now, if papa and mamma 
and baby Frank were only here so we could all 
go to heaven together, how nice it would be!' 
O, Vida's face ! Mamma, if you could only have 
seen her ; how beautiful she looked ! Her face 
shone like an angel's as she talked to us. She 
led us into another room, and we all knelt to- 
gether and prayed. Then there came a tremen- 
dous crash. I sprang to my feet, with a lamp in 
my hand, just in time enough to see the wall 
come in, and I knew nothing more until I awoke 
in the darkness in the mud and water below." 

The glow which beamed from the face of this 
young girl of seventeen was not different in kind, 
and probably not in degree, from that which, 
riveting the attention of friends and foes alike, 
glowed in the face of Stephen as he arose to ad- 
dress the Sanhedrim. 

There was much in the character of this man 
which was new to the world. It is no wonder 
that such a man had rapidly risen to pre-eminence 



358 The Church of Pentecost 

in the primitive Ghurch. His life, together with 
his mental and spiritual gifts, gave him promi- 
nence among his brethren, while his name and 
fame have been household words throughout the 
Christian world ever since the morning of his 
death. But it was not the fact that he was the 
first martyr alone which has made the Christian 
world throughout past centuries linger fondly 
over the story of his death. To Stephen was 
granted the double honor not only of being the 
first martyr, but the first servant of God who liad 
ever shown the world how it was possible for a 
good man to love an enemy. Like his Master, 
he died praying for his murderers. Happily for 
Christianity, to say nothing of humanity, that 
prayer has been repeated a myriad times since; 
but it was given to Stephen to utter it for the 
first time. All through the Old Testament his- 
tory the love of revenge and the desire for re- 
venge had been accepted as perfectly consistent 
with the service of God. Jesus had taught a bet- 
ter doctrine, and had illustrated it in his own 
death ; but it was not until Pentecost had burned 
the teachings of Christ into the hearts of his dis- 
ciples that our poor humanity could both accept 
the doctrine of universal love and illustrate it, as 
Stephen did, in the bitter hour of a terrible death. 



Spiritual Leadership 359 

It is very probable that Stephen was the un- 
conscious human agent which was chiefly used 
by the Holy Spirit in convicting Saul of Tarsus 
of his great sin, and of the startling error of his 
religious views. A young man named Saul stood 
by as a witness wlhile Stephen was murdered. A 
few weeks later this young man, with his heart 
still full of hatred and murder, was suddenly ar- 
rested by the power of the Holy Spirit, received 
a special rebuke from the risen Christ, and be- 
came an obedient disciple. God usually employs 
human agency in carrying conviction to sinful 
men, and it is evident from the story of Saul's 
conversion that he had been for some time vigor- 
ously righting against convictions implanted in 
some way in his heart. Saul had heard Stephen 
preaching in the temple inclosure, and must have 
heard him time and again. He had been among 
those who had clamored for 'his blood, and calmly 
stood by as a witness of his execution. To those 
present it no doubt seemed that the most danger- 
ous man in the Christian community had been 
put out of the way when Stephen was murdered ; 
but God, who was looking down upon the scene, 
had already marked out one of the murderers as 
a still more notable successor to his faithful 
martyr. 



360 The Church of Pentecost 

Barnabas. 

After Stephen, the most prominent place in 
the Church of Pentecost must be conceded to 
Barnabas. He was the only person whose advent 
into the little community receives special mention 
in Luke's brief sketch. He was from Cyprus, and 
evidently had been a man of some reputation be- 
fore his conversion. He sold his property, paid 
over the money into the common treasury, and 
took his place in the affectionate circle of de- 
voted believers. In a short time he appears as a 
leading man in the community, and one fitted for 
positions of great responsibility. His name in 
the meantime had become changed, according to 
a custom introduced by the Savior himself, from 
Joseph to Barnabas, or, the Son of Exhortation. 
Exhortation was one of the gifts of the Spirit 
bestowed in connection with the Pentecostal 
anointing, and it is probable that this good man 
excelled in the exercise of this very valuable gift, 
and thus earned his title. 

After the dispersion of the first Christians, 
Barnabas next appears as the introducer of the 
new convert, Saul, to the apostles, and here we 
catch a glimpse of the greatness of the man. 
Peter, James, and John, together with the whole 
body of the early Christians, were afraid of the 
man in whose presence Stephen had been mur- 



Spiritual Leadership 361 

dered; but Barnabas received him as a brother, 
and by his earnest assurances persuaded the 
others to receive him also. Meanwhile Peter 
went down to Joppa; saw his vision; was called 
to Csesarea; witnessed the outpouring of the 
Holy Spirit upon the Roman household; re- 
turned to Jerusalem and defended himself suc- 
cessfully against his narrow-minded brethren; 
but neither Peter nor his brethren took a single 
step toward entering the door which had thus 
been set wide open before them. The next door 
of access to the Gentiles was opened at Antioch ; 
and when it was decided to send some one to 
care for and advise the Antioch converts at this 
supreme crisis, Barnabas was the man chosen. 
He was the man for the Ihour. His heart was big 
enough, and his mind broad enough, to enable 
him to appreciate all the bearings of his difficult 
task. He was able to see the hand of God in the 
work, and thenceforth rejoiced and moved for- 
ward with confidence. He succeeded in his mis- 
sion, and to him must be assigned the honor of 
having organized on a permanent basis the first 
Church composed of both Jewish and Gentile 
converts. That which gives its chief importance 
to the work of Barnabas on this occasion, was the 
fact that the Church at Antioch seems to have 
become the model on which the organization of 



362 The Church of Pentecost 

Christian Churches was accomplished through- 
out every city of the Roman world. It was neces- 
sary that this task should be done, and well done, 
before the great missionary work which was to 
follow under the leadership of Paul could be 
initiated. In mastering this problem, Barnabas 
succeeded not only in putting the Church of 
Antioch upon a safe foundation, but opened a 
door of access to the whole Roman world. 

It is one of the marks of genius that it enables 
its possessor to detect genius in others. Na- 
poleon surrounded himself with marshals, some 
of whom were almost equal to himself. General 
Grant selected his military leaders with almost 
equal precision. Barnabas had not long been in 
Antioch until he determined to go in person to 
see if Saul could not be induced to join him. He 
had perceived at a glance that the converted 
young Pharisee was just the man for the time 
and the place; and to make sure of securing so 
valuable a worker he went in person, found him 
in hfs native town of Tarsus, and soon returned 
with him to Antioch. In due time the call to 
special service followed, and the great missionary 
movement of the ages began. But it was Barna- 
bas, and not Saul, who initiated it. To him was 
given tihe leading place by the Holy Spirit, and 



Spiritual Leadership 363 

when the two set out upon their first tour, Barna- 
bas was manifestly not only the senior, but the 
leader of the enterprise. 

But what about his rupture with the great 
apostle of the Gentiles? Simply this, and noth- 
ing more: that he differed in judgment from his 
young colleague. John Mark was evidently quite 
young, and had failed in his duty at an important 
moment. Paul determined to cast him off alto- 
gether ; but Barnabas, who saw the great possibil- 
ities which lay in the future of his young relative, 
wisely refused to give him up. It was simply an 
example of two good men differing in judgment ; 
but Barnabas was clearly right, and Paul as 
clearly wrong. By saving John, Barnabas saved 
to the Church and to the world one of the most 
prominent Christian leaders of t'he first century — 
one who was to become the author of the second 
Gospel; the (probable) founder of the important 
Church at Alexandria; the private secretary of 
Peter; and finally the beloved and highly-valued 
attendant of Paul in his old age. 

The name of Paul has probably been regarded 
with more reverence throughout the Protestant 
world than that of any other person except Paul's 
Master. Hence to many it has seemed almost 
profane in Barnabas to have ventured to differ 



364 The Church of Pentecost 

with so holy and inspired a man; but Paul was 
quite as human as Barnabas. It is sheer folly to 
call attention, as some writers do, to the fact that 
Barnabas disappears from history at this point. 
His part of the work was finished. He was an 
older man than Paul, and 'his special task had 
been that of forming a permanent basis for the 
organization of Gentile Churches, and initiating 
Paul into his life-work. How highly he was ap- 
preciated by his great associate, may be seen by 
an incidental allusion to him at a time when mis- 
chief-making interlopers from Jerusalem were 
stirring up trouble on the question of the right 
or wrong of eating with the Gentiles. Peter had 
weakly yielded, and Paul rebuked him to his face, 
but did not seem greatly surprised at his con- 
duct. It was otherwise, however, with his col- 
league, of whom he wrote, as if in sad surprise, 
"Even Barnabas was carried away by their dis- 
simulation." [R. V.] 

Barnabas, the son of exhortation, won and 
permanently held a prominent place in the primi- 
tive Church. He deserved to take high rank as 
a good and great man, and it is an incidental 
tribute to his reputation for ability that he is one 
of the very few persons to whom has been as- 
signed the disputed authorship of the peerless 
Epistle to the Hebrews. 



Spiritual Leadership 365 

Philip. 

To Philip belongs the lasting honor of having 
been the pioneer of a notable body of men, 
known in every spiritual era of the Church since 
his day as 'evangelists. Of his previous history 
nothing is known. He was one of the seven lay- 
men chosen to fill the office of deacon, and was 
one of the three among the seven who speedily 
rose to distinction after their appointment. When 
the dispersion of the Christians occurred he 
sought refuge in Samaria, and immediately took 
the leading place among the hundreds who had 
gone everywhere preaching the Word. He ap- 
peared upon the scene at the darkest hour of dis- 
tress and gloom, like the gleam of a bright 
meteor on a dark and stormy night. The Samar- 
itans were by no means hopeful subjects for 
Christian preaching; and notwithstanding the 
open door which Jesus had found among them, 
it is evident that the success of Philip was as 
much of a surprise as of a pleasure to the apos- 
tles. Philip had evidently remembered his Mas- 
ter's express command to preach his gospel to 
every creature, a command whidh most persons, 
in our day as well as in Philip's time, and in mis- 
sion-fields as well as in Christian lands, seem 
prone to forget. With glowing heart and glow- 
ing words he told of Jesus of Nazareth; of his 



366 The Church of Pentecost 

life and death; of his resurrection and saving- 
power. 

The despised Samaritans listened with glad 
surprise, and many of them received the Word 
and publicly professed their faith in Jesus as the 
promised Messiah and Savior of men. In one 
respect, however, the work was strangely incom- 
plete. The Holy Spirit was not given to converts 
in Pentecostal fullness, and hence the way was 
not open for the organization of a Church at Sa- 
maria, or for a permanent prosecution of Chris- 
tian work. The story of Philip's preaching re- 
minds us of the ministry of the seventy sent out 
during our Savior's lifetime; and it is possible 
that Philip, having been one of the seventy, on 
the present occasion simply followed the line of 
work with which he had been familiar at an earlier 
period. We must remember, also, that the situ- 
ation was novel ; that he had no post-Pentecostal 
experience in such work to guide him; and that 
he was in a manner feeling his way. A further 
explanation may possibly be found in the fact 
that it was important that the apostles themselves 
should become fully committed to the work 
among the Samaritans, and that the Samaritan 
and Jewish believers should thus become united 
in one fold. Viewed in this light, it was as impor- 
tant that Peter and John should be personally 



Spiritual Leadership 367 

associated with Philip in receiving the new con- 
verts, as that the Samaritans should have the high 
privilege of enjoying the ministry of the two 
leading apostles. Whatever the reason or rea- 
sons for the procedure may have been, it was not 
until Peter and John visited Samaria, and not 
only preached a fuller gospel to the converts, but 
laid their hands on them, that the Pentecostal 
anointing of the Spirit came upon them as upon 
the disciples at the beginning. 

In this age of enlightened and practical com- 
mon sense, it seems almost incredible that this 
incidental feature of the story should be seized 
upon by a great multitude of interpreters as an 
evidence, not only that certain men who are sup- 
posed to have succeeded the apostles in office, 
enjoy the high prerogative of bestowing the gift 
of the Spirit by the laying on of their apostolic 
hands, but also that the Spirit is not given, and 
can not be given, in any other way. Such inter- 
preters forget that no apostle was sent to help 
Philip in dealing with the Ethiopian convert on 
the Gaza road, and forget also that this appro- 
priate and impressive form of service has been 
omitted in the case of millions upon millions of 
men and women who have since been filled in 
Pentecostal measure with the Spirit. They insist 
upon upholding a theory based chiefly upon one 



368 The Church of Pentecost 

exceptional incident. The question is manifestly 
one of fact. Does the imposition of holy hands 
produce any effect or not? Can any instance be 
cited during the past thousand years in which a 
marked spiritual change took place in connection 
with this ceremony? On the other hand, is it 
not a most significant fact that those who have 
received in fullest measure the Spirit's gift, have 
done so without any thought of any intermediary 
agent or any outward ceremony? 

The stay of Philip in Samaria was very brief. 
While it must have seemed to every one that he 
ought to remain among the converts who had 
been won by his preaching, God ordered other- 
wise. The two apostles entered the door which 
Philip had opened for them, and preached in 
many Samaritan towns, while the evangelist was 
sent upon another mission of an extraordinary 
character. "An angel of the Lord" directed him 
to go southward, by the road which passed 
through a strip of desert between Jerusalem and 
Gaza. His prompt obedience showed that he had 
the true spirit of an evangelist in him. We hear 
nothing about demands for compensation, about 
plans for organization, about stipulations for the 
purchase of special hymn-books, about inquiries 
concerning tfhe size of the town and the union of 
the congregations, and so on indefinitely. To 



Spiritual Leadership 369 

Philip's mind and heart only one question pre- 
sented itself, Where does God wish me to go? 
He obeyed the call, went forth, and in the midst 
of the desert road found an audience of one per- 
son. His Master before him had preached a 
memorable sermon to an audience of one person, 
and Philip did not wish to be above his Master. 
Our modern evangelists have a marked liking 
for large audiences, and not many of them would 
waste their valuable time in preaching to a single 
individual. Philip was a wiser and better man; 
he preached Christ, baptized his convert, and sent 
the rejoicing disciple on his way. 

In this story of Philip there is less of the mirac- 
ulous, and less of the unusual, than we might at 
first glance suppose. The angel of the Lord 
probably spoke to him in a night vision, which 
is another way of saying that he appeared to him 
in a dream. If so, it may be said that persons in 
our own time, under circumstances of special 
need, sometimes receive special intimations from 
above in a similar way. The direction given by 
the Spirit to go forward and join himself to the 
stranger in the chariot, is very much like an inci- 
dent in the life of the eccentric Lorenzo Dow. 
When we read that Philip was "caught away" by 
the Spirit, we are not compelled to believe that he 

was borne bodily through the air to his next post 
24 



370 The Church of Pentecost 

of duty. The attention of the new convert was 
diverted in some way, and in a moment Philip 
had disappeared. The Spirit guided him on his 
way, and when next heard from he was at Azo- 
tus. He reappears again as a permanent resident 
of Caesarea, and from the fact that he had now 
become known as ''the evangelist" it is evident 
that he had devoted his life to this peculiar form 
of labor. 

Our modern evangelists might learn much 
from the story of Philip. There was nothing 
artificial, nothing conventional, and nothing per- 
functory in the manner of his work. He obeyed 
God. He was a man of one work. He evangel- 
ized. Others might build, organize, teach, rule; 
but his work was to go as a herald oPChrist to 
arrest attention, to initiate a work of salvation, 
and to pass on, leaving to others tlhe task of 
pushing forward the work which he had com- 
menced. Never in the history of the Christian 
Church has there been more need of the evangel- 
ist, after the pattern of Philip, than at t'he present 
hour; but among the many who bear the name, 
very few indeed seem to retain the Spirit of the 
evangelist who came forth from the bosom of the 
Church of Pentecost. Philip used no cards on 
which names were to be affixed to platitudes ; he 
knew no arts by which to entrap an audience, he 



Spiritual Leadership 371 

did not deceive himself or others by interminable 
calls to rise up, or show hands, or come forward, 
or do something — almost anything — to make it 
seem that something was taking place. But he 
preached Christ; he walked with God; and his 
feet were ever swift to run in the way of God's 
commandments. He could accept a call to a 
great city or a dreary desert with equal alacrity ; 
and he could go alone where no one waited to 
greet him, where no crowded halls opened their 
doors, and where God alone was to be his por- 
tion. In these closing years of our nineteenth 
century our poor world needs a million men and 
women of like spirit. 

James of Jerusalem. 

This eminent man has received scant justice at 
the hands of modern writers, to some of whom he 
has seemed to have been a rival, if not an op- 
ponent, of Paul, while to others he has stood forth 
as the chief representative of the conservative 
party in the primitive Church. He was late in- 
accepting the divine mission of his Brother, and 
pro'bably only gave up his doubts when Jesus ap- 
peared to him in person after his resurrection. 
He was found among the waiting disciples at 
Jerusalem, and became thus a partaker of the 
first outpouring of the Spirit on the morning of 



372 The Church of Pentecost 

Pentecost. Universal tradition represents him 
to have been a man of strict, if not ascetic, habits 
— an observer of the law of Moses, as were all the 
members of the Church of Pentecost, and also 
of the later Church in Jerusalem; and as a man 
of deep piety Who was much given to prayer. As 
bishop, or overseer, of the Church at Jerusalem, 
he became in some respects the most influential 
man in the Christian world, and it is a note- 
worthy fact that when Paul speaks of the three 
"pillars" in the Church of Jerusalem, he assigns 
the first place to James. 

It does not seem, however, that there is any 
ground whatever for assuming that this good 
and great man was a leader of the Judaizing 
party, or that he was a man of narrow views and 
illiberal tendencies. On the other hand, he ap- 
pears to have been open to conviction, and quite 
able to take broad and liberal views, of new ques- 
tions. In his celebrated "sentence," or official 
opinion, given in the face of the dispute which 
had been raised by the conservative party at the 
time when Paul and Barnabas visited Jerusalem, 
we have an example of broad liberality which, 
from the lips of a scrupulous Jew, is simply amaz- 
ing. In fact, this opinion is altogether too lib- 
eral for very many intelligent Christians of the 
present day. Not a few foreign missionaries in- 



Spiritual Leadership 373 

sist on exacting more rigorous conditions of 
Church membership from their converts, than 
James proposed in the Council at Jerusalem. 
Placed in a most difficult position, and having 
to meet new issues and deal with men of very 
discordant views, to say notlhing of ungenerous 
feelings, this first Christian bishop discharged his 
duties with great wisdom, and proved a success- 
ful administrator. 

It is perhaps natural, but none the less unfair, 
to identify a man's views with the prevailing 
sentiments of those who accept him as their 
leader, and this has been the chief cause of the 
mistaken judgment wfaich had been passed by so 
many upon James of Jerusalem. In his letter to 
the Galatians, Paul speaks of certain fomenters 
of trouble "who had come from James," and this 
has led many to assume that James had sent these 
parties as a deputation, and that they represented 
his views. It need hardly be said that nothing 
of the kind is implied by the expression. It is 
simply another way of saying that tlhese persons 
had come from Jerusalem. The opinion of the 
bishop of the Church at Jerusalem had been 
stated in the most public way, and there was no 
danger of the Galatian Christians misunderstand- 
ing the expression. The Christians at Jerusalem 
were the least progressive of all the disciples of 



374 The Church of Pentecost 

that age, and among them were some who held 
the most extreme views concerning the obliga- 
tion to observe the law of Moses. It must have 
been a most difficult task for the resident bishop 
to hold an even balance among men of widely- 
differing views. But so far as the record throws 
light upon the subject, there does not seem to 
be a shadow of proof that his sympathies were 
enlisted on the wrong side, or that writers like 
Dr. Whedon should speak of him as "Judaic 
James." Nothing in his administration, and cer- 
tainly nothing in his writings, would indicate 
that there was anything narrow in either his re- 
ligious views or his personal sympathies. 

As a writer James proved himself to be a man 
of wide sympathies, practical views, and of firm 
religious principle. His epistle was needed by 
the Christians of his own time, and is needed no 
less by those who bear the Christian name in our 
own day. The tendency to substitute forms for 
realities, words for deeds, and social standing 
for holy living, is deeply rooted in human nature, 
and was not long in making itself felt and seen 
among the early Christians. It has been pro- 
posed to establish new professorships in certain 
American colleges, to be known as the "Chairs 
of Applied Christianity." If this should be done, 
the Epistle of James to the "Twelve Tribes of 



Spiritual Leadership 375 

the Dispersion" would serve as an admirable text- 
book for the students. He was evidently a 
teacher of applied Christianity, and as long as 
worldliness continues to encroach upon the 
Church, and formality to war against the spirit- 
uality which is the very life of the Church, so 
long will this practical message from the inspired 
leader of the first Christian Church be needed 
among those who bear the name of Christ in our 
world. 

Having faithfully served his Master and 
worthily walked in his footsteps for some years, 
and having also successfully fulfilled the more 
public obligations which fell to his lot as overseer 
of the Church, this eminent and saintly man of 
God at length fell a victim to the enmity of 
Hanan, the Sadducean higli-priest, who was an 
unrelenting enemy of the new faith. James was 
a man who had evidently won his title to a 
martyr's crown. He left behind him an abso- 
lutely unblemished reputation, and his name will 
continue to be an ornament to the noble Church 
of Pentecost as long as history endures. 

John Mark. 

A singular incident is mentioned in the second 
Gospel in connection with the story of the be- 
trayal of Jesus, in which a young man who had 



376 The Church of Pentecost 

ventured to follow his Master was seized by some 
of the hostile party, and only escaped arrest by 
leaving his only garment in the hands of those 
who had seized him, and dashing off among the 
olive-trees which surrounded the place. The 
story does not present the young man in a very 
creditable light, and yet there can be very little 
doubt that he was none other than the author of 
the Gospel. The mention of such an incident 
can be accounted for in no other way. It pos- 
sessed no special importance in itself to the gen- 
eral reader, but must have been remembered with 
melancholy interest by the young man when, in 
later years, he undertook the task of writing a 
biography of his Master. Viewed in this light, 
the mention of the incident adds to the interest 
of the story, and at the same time furnishes a 
striking proof of the authenticity of the Gospel. 
The young man's courage utterly failed him, and 
as he disappeared among the dark shadows of the 
olive-trees, no witness of the scene could have 
believed that he would reappear in a few weeks 
as one of the most prominent followers of this 
same Master ; that his mother's house was to be- 
come the headquarters of the first Christian 
Church; and that he himself was to become one 
of the great leaders of the new faith throughout 
the world. 



Spiritual Leadership 377 

The unfortunate lapse from duty into which 
Mark was betrayed when he forsook Paul and 
Barnabas before their great missionary tour had 
fairly commenced, has rested like a cloud upon 
his reputation ever since ; but it is abundantly evi- 
dent that among the early Christians generally 
his error was not viewed in a very serious light. 
He seems to have been an active worker, and to 
have been personally present in many of the great 
centers of early Christianity. Universal tradi- 
tion assigns to him the honor of having founded 
the great Church at Alexandria, and, in the ab- 
sence of any evidence to the contrary, there 
seems no good reason to doubt the fact. Our 
Savior's frequent repudiation of the religious tra- 
ditions of the Jews has led many to distrust the 
word tradition in any possible connection; but 
traditional doctrine with a known origin, is a 
very different thing from traditional history 
which can be traced back to a very remote date, 
Mark was an active man, one who became well 
known in Babylon and Rome, in Judea, and 
among the Churches in Asia Minor, and it is 
hardly probable that such a man would have 
omitted Alexandria in his evangelistic expe- 
ditions — the city which, next to Rome, would 
have most arrested his attention and challenged 
his enterprising spirit. Several of the early 



378 The Church of Pentecost 

Christian historians affirm that Mark was sent to 
Alexandria by Peter, and that he not only 
founded the influential Church of that great city, 
but lived to become its first bishop, and finally 
one of its first martyrs. 

As the author of the second Gospel, Mark will 
always be recognized as one of the most promi- 
nent characters among t'he early Christians. He 
was universally spoken of by the early Chris- 
tian writers as the ''interpreter" of Peter. This 
title may have been given him because he acted 
as interpreter of Peter's teaching and preaching 
into Greek, and perhaps into Latin and other 
languages ; or it may have been, as many affirm, 
because he wrote his life of Christ under the im- 
mediate direction of Peter, both as regards the 
historical facts recorded and the doctrines taught. 
It is very possible, and indeed probable, that the 
interpreter performed both these duties. The 
Gospel seems undoubtedly to have been written 
for persons at a distance from Judea, and who 
were not familiar with the language spoken by 
the Jews of that age. It is certainly a very inter- 
esting suggestion that in this Gospel we find the 
story of the life and teachings of Jesus as they 
were usually presented by the leader of the orig- 
inal band of personal disciples, and it would not 
detract from the credit due to the actual writer 



Spiritual Leadership 379 

of the brief biography if we named the treatise, 
The Gospel according to Peter. 

At best we can only catch an occasional brief 
glimpse of the leading worthies of the first gener- 
ation of Christians; but among the notable per- 
sonages which pass before us as we look over the 
ancient records of that day, we find very few in- 
deed who were more active, who did better work, 
and who left more abiding footprints behind 
them, than the young man who once deserted his 
Master and fled, and who later deserted the great 
pioneer missionary, but who lived to be spoken 
of by the venerable Peter as "Marcus, my son," 
and who became a valued assistant to Paul. 

In giving the above brief sketches of five of 
the notable men who belonged to the Church of 
Pentecost, it is not intended to imply that these 
five names exhaust the list. Jude, the brother 
and successor of James, was another; and it is 
nearly certain that Silas also was among the early 
members of that illustrious Church. If the power 
to develop leadership is one of the most infallible 
evidences of a vigorous spiritual life in a body of 
Christians, then most certainly the Church of 
Pentecost, with its very brief career, takes high 
rank among the great spiritual organizations 
which have appeared in Christian history. 



XXIV 
A NEW CHURCH OF PENTECOST 

Has the illustrious Church of Pentecost 
forever vanished from our earth? May it not 
reappear, even in our degenerate day, in tlhe for- 
mation of select bands of devoted Christians, 
perhaps one or more from each nation or large 
community, and thus give back to the world the 
impressive spectacle of a spotless association of 
Christian believers, every one of whom exhibits 
the spirit and the life of the first community of 
believers at Jerusalem? Has not the time fully 
come to call for a separation of those who are 
Christians indeed from the feeble, imperfect, 
halting, and even worldly persons, who bear the 
name of Christian disciples, and yet exhibit only 
in imperfect outline the character of true fol- 
lowers of Christ? Would not the old-time power 
of the Churclh of Pentecost come back again to 
any company of believers to-day who would as- 
sociate themselves together on the basis of sepa- 
ration from all who do not measure up to the 
ancient standard of the model Church? 

380 



A New Church of Pentecost 381 

To these, and to all such questions, the only 
answer which can be given is an unqualified, No. 
The withdrawal of believers from believers is 
contrary both to the example and precept of the 
New Testament Christians. In the first place, 
there can be no other Church of Pentecost 
exactly corresponding to the first organization 
bearing that name. The inauguration of that 
Church was the last act in the great scheme of 
redemption, and hence can not be repeated. In 
the next place, the whole spirit of the New Testa- 
ment condemns such a proposal. The strong 
are never to abandon the weak, or those who are 
"spiritual" to forsake the "carnal," but rather to 
cling to them, seek their highest good, bear with 
their infirmities, and save them if at all possible. 
Still further, the attempt to create a pure Church 
by an artificial separation of individuals will sei 
up a wrong ideal, and speedily create a Church 
pervaded by a spirit entirely alien to that which 
animated the first believers at Jerusalem. The 
task before tjhe woman with her leaven is that 
of leavening the whole lump, and the last thing 
for her to think of is the fancy that her task can 
be best accomplished by carefully separating part 
of the leaven from the rest of the mass. 

It is not strange that frequent attempts have 
been made to organize either formal Churches or 



382 The Church of Pentecost 

informal groups of select believers, on a basis of 
separation from worldly influences, and the sup- 
posed following of tftie precedent set before us 
of Pentecost ; but it is a most significant fact that 
such experiments, however promising for a time, 
invariably end in disappointment, if not in dis- 
aster. If started in the name of unity, the se- 
ceders speedily become noted for sectarian nar- 
rowness; if the banner of personal holiness is 
raised, the fine gold soon becomes dim, and the 
legend on the banner thus becomes a misnomer ; 
if the question of Church polity is the issue, it 
quickly begins to create bitterness of heart and 
narrowness of sympathy; if the object is to get 
rid of supposed 'hindrances and prepare the way 
for a great ingathering of perishing souls, no re- 
sult of the kind is realized; but, on the other 
hand, the usefulness of the individuals becomes 
greatly limited. It is different when faithful be- 
lievers are driven out of an unfaithful Church, 
or where a few go forth to engage in work at a 
distance, or where supreme questions of con- 
science are at stake; but where a company of 
Christians deliberately separate themselves from 
their brethren in order to escape from their sup- 
posed imperfections in character and life, they 
can only go forth to disappointment and failure. 
A more excellent way may easily be sought 



A New Church of Pentecost 383 

and certainly found. The standard of Pentecost 
should be set up in every land, in every Church, 
and in every household. It should everywhere 
be made the normal standard of Christian expe- 
rience and Christian conduct, and no longer re- 
garded as exceptional, much less impracticable. 
The spirit of the original Church of Pentecost 
will be found as well adapted to the present age 
as to the most favored period of the first century 
or of any past era. 

Much harm has been done, especially in recent 
years, by the very general assumption that the 
Pentecostal standard of holy living, as well as of 
spiritual gifts, is exceptional, realized with diffi- 
culty, and only maintained at the cost of great 
sacrifices and painful effort. The very reverse of 
this is true. The Pentecostal life is the normal 
life ; its yoke is the easy yoke, and its burden the 
light burden of which Jesus spoke. As we cross 
the threshold of the new century we should for- 
ever cast away the idea that a life of devotion is 
possible to a few only. Jesus only set up one 
standard, either of law or grace. His law is per- 
fect, and his grace is boundless and free. God's 
laws of grace never change. Pentecost witnessed 
the inauguration of an era of gospel fullness, and 
never since, for a single hour, has the measure of 
Christian privilege diminished. 



384 The Church of Pentecost 

Instead of vainly attempting to found a new 
Church, or a number of new Churches, a more 
excellent way would be to set up and maintain 
the Pentecostal standard in every Church and in 
every believer's life. This can not be done by 
proclamation or by any official action, but only 
by the simple way of faith which we have had 
from the beginning. The gospel preached 
should be a full gospel, and this should be illus- 
trated by "living epistles," which would be read 
and understood to an extent which few now are 
able to realize. In all our Churches men and 
women are already found who are as holy, as un- 
selfish, and as devoted as were any in the original 
Church of Pentecost ; but these are too few, and 
most unfortunately a habit has been formed of 
regarding them as exceptional. But why should 
they be regarded as exceptional? Is there any 
reservation in God's promises, or in the Ever- 
lasting Covenant, which for a moment suggests 
such a thing? So far from it, Christianity itself, 
when rightly regarded, becomes a huge incon- 
sistency so long as, with an open New Testa- 
ment, the miserably low standard of piety and 
devotion now exhibited to the world is allowed 
to stand as fairly representative of the normal 
Christian life. 

Our world might easily be made a Christian 



A New Church of Pentecost 385 

world before the close of trie twentieth century, 
if all Christian Churches, or even those only 
which are in the best sense evangelical, could be 
induced to adopt the standard of the Church of 
Pentecost, in living, in giving, and in working. 
As remarked in a previous chapter, many are 
aroused to hostile criticism when it is pro- 
posed to introduce the tithing system; or, in 
other words, to expect every wage-earning per- 
son to give one-tenth of his income to the sup- 
port of God's work. Strangely enough, it hardly 
seems to occur to any one who opposes such a 
proposal, that at best it is only attempting to 
bring the Christian Church up to the ordinary 
standard of the ancient Hebrews. One-tenth of 
the aggregate income of all the evangelical Chris- 
tians in the United States would effect a mighty 
revolution so far as tne religious interests of our 
own country are concerned, and would give such 
a stimulus to missionary effort abroad as to make 
the conversion of the whole world within a cen- 
tury or two a matter of absolute certainty. But 
one-tenth is a Jewish standard, and does not seem 
to have been known, or, if known, regarded in any 
way, in the Church of Pentecost. In our better 
and brighter day it should be regarded as a joy- 
ous privilege to have our best gifts accepted 
when placed on God's altar, and even life itself 
25 



386 The Church of Pentecost 

should not for a moment be regarded as too 
precious to be devoted to the service of Him 
who gave his life to reconcile a world to God. 

The age of traditional authority is passing 
away, and any religion which would command 
respect, or, still more, which would demand sub- 
mission, must live by the force of its own vitality, 
and thus become distinctively recognized as a 
living power among men. Christ is "our life," 
and the Living Christ must be the immediate 
source of both life and power to the Church 
which expects to have a future worthy the name. 
The Christ-life must become the standard of the 
Christian life, and when that standard is fully 
recognized the petty divisions which mar the 
beauty of our modern Zion will probably all dis- 
appear. 

But when the Christ-life becomes the ac- 
cepted standard of Christian believers, the 
Church of Christ will witness some changes of a 
very practical kind. The average Christian will 
become, in New Testament phrase, "spiritual," 
and the extraordinary standard of holy living 
will become the ordinary. Christians generally, 
though mingling freely with the world as the 
Master did, will still be separate from the world. 
An invisible line will ever separate between the 



A New Church of Pentecost 387 

children of tihis world and the children of God. 
The law of love in that better day will be a mighty 
factor in the progress of the race. Christians will 
instinctively become helpful to their fellow-men 
in a thousand ways which are now overlooked. 
The rule of giving, as illustrated at Pentecost, 
will largely prevail again. The humiliating spec- 
tacle so often seen at the present day, of placing 
Christ before an audience in the character of a 
beggar, will vanish forever from the Church. 
The grinding, murderous poverty under which 
so many millions groan will gradually vanish 
from the earth, as men approximate more and 
more to the Master's standard. The hospital of 
to-day will become as ordinary a sight as the 
village churdh. The homeless will find shelter, 
the orphan a home, and the stranger friends. 
But more than these tokens of blessing, there 
must come, and assuredly there will come, a work 
of salvation on a scale far wider and deeper than 
has yet been witnessed among men. The very 
word Salvation must have a new meaning put 
into it. The nations must be saved from the 
blight of sin, from the reign of darkness, from the 
chains of worldly bondage. Individuals must be 
saved from drunkenness and vice, from lawless- 
ness and crime, from ignorance and degradation. 



388 The Church of Pentecost 

The missionary work of to-day must assume pro- 
portions such as no one dreams of now. The 
nations are to become Christian nations, and our 
world a Christian world. The sure word of 
promise has gone forth from God himself, and 
both the promise and potency of this assured 
result is found in the brief but beautiful story of 
the Church of Pentecost. 



INDEX 



& 



PAGE. 

Ananias and Sapphira, . 263 
Not wicked above many- 
others, 265 

An object lesson, - - 265 
Similar to Nadab and 

Abihu, 268 

Fate of, a warning rather 

than punishment, - - 270 

Modern illustrations, 270, 272 

Apostle, The, - - - - 181 

Equipment of, a gift of 



Pentecost, - - - 181, 


i8 S 


' ' Succession " of, a hu- 




man invention, 


183 


Supreme test of, - - - 


184 


Present demand for, 186 


IPS 


A pioneer, .... 


189 


An Evangelist,- - - - 


189 


Layer of foundations, - 


190 


An Administrator, 


IQI 


Apostles, Modern, - - 


194 



Baker, Sir Samuel — inci- 
dent of, related, - - 
Baptism — of Water, Fire, 
and the Spirit, - - 
of the Spirit, chief feature 
of present dispensation, 
Profitless discussion of, - 
of the Spirit denned, 
of Jesus, 



41 
51 

51 

52 
53 
62 



PAGE. 

Barnabas, 360 

Prominence of in Early 

Church, - - - 360, 361 
Leadership of, ... 362 

Believers, 23 

Bible — not foundation of 

Church, ----- 322 
Incomplete at Pentecost, 322 
Blessings — Pentecostal, . 61 
Blesser more than bless- 
ing, 62 

Christians — Early, indif- 
ferent to petty criti- 
cism, 335 

Service to successors, - - 339 
Church Membership, - 109 
Nominal unknown, - - 109 
Church of Pentecost, - 7 
First members of, - - 17 
Spiritual status of, - - 18 
Achievements not tabu- 
lated, - 9 

Duration of, - - - - 8 
A permanent ideal, - - 12 
Abiding principles, - - 14 
Not a failure, - - 11,295 
Culture of, - - - - 27 
Communism — Christian, - 292 
Modern and Pentecostal, 
contrasted, - - - 297 



389 



39° 



Index 



PAGE. 

Communism — 

Essentially kind, - - - 302 
Care for Widows, - - 302 
Modern Church neglect- 
ful, ----- 304 

Consecration — Christian, 247 
Pentecostal, rule of, - - 247 
Tests of, - - - 248, 252 
Meetings in aid of, - - 250 

Tithing, 254 

Law to be studied, - - 257 
Involves personal service, 260 

Conversion, ----- 21 

Dispensation — P r esent ; 

pre-eminence of, - - 44 

Dreams — Instructive, - - 230 

Prediction of, - - - 231 

Hindu instructed by, - - 233 

Other incidents, - 235, 237, 

239, and 242 

Electricity — i 1 lustrates 

spiritual power, - - 45 

Ezekiel — vision of, - - 42 

John's clearer view, - 42 

Finney, C. G. — incident in 

life of, 152 

Fire — Sacred, - - - - 197 
Antitype of, - - - - 198 
Lesson of responsibility, 198 
Replenishing the flame, 201 
" Stirring up," - - - 202 
Prayer related to, - - - 204 
Rule of Divine co-opera- 
tion, 205 

First Members, - - - 17 
Spiritual status of, - - 18 

Fruits of the Spirit — 
Can not be defined, - - 104 
Elements of the kingdom 
of God, 105 



PAGE. 

Fruits of the Spirit — 
Mistaken conception of, 106 
Testimony concerning, - 1 1 1 

"Helps," ----- 120 

Term covers a wide field, 121 

Such workers needed, - 122 

Holiness — Perfecting of, 208 

Incident illustrating, . 209 

Holy Spirit — Advent of, 38 
Present not dispensation 

of, 38 

Ever with us, ... 39 

Imageries — Spiritual, - - 221 

Illustration of, - - - 223 

Practical value of, - - - 228 
Inspiration — a question of 

facts, 328 

Source of great power, - 330 
Not in bondage to the 

letter, ----- 331 

James of Jerusalem, - - 371 
Liberal rather than con- 
servative, - - - - 372 
Writings of, ... - 374 

Jesus, Method of, - - 293 

Laying on of Hands, - 347 
Leadership — Spiritual, - 351 
Want of, a sign of weak- 
ness, 352 

Life, Master of, - - - 43 



Mark, John, 



- 375 



Ninde, Bishop — Testimo- 
ny of, 218 

Old Testament Stand- 
ard of Piety, - - - 19 

Organization ; a Law of 
Life, - - , - - 350 



Index 



391 



PAGE. 

Paraclete — Meaning of 

term, ------ 38 

Abiding presence of, - 38 
Pastors and Teachers, - 166 
Terms have much in com- 
mon, 166 

Pastor a Spiritual shep- 
herd, ----- 167 

Should know his flock, - 168 
Personal contact neces- 
sary, ----- 169 

Teachers and teaching, 171 
Aquila and Priscilla ex- 
amples of, - - - - 172 

Skill and tact needed, - 173 
Wide diffusion of gift 
needed, ----- 1 74 

Limitless demand for, - 175 
Pentecost — "Why so simple 
a procedure, - - - - 26 

Not a model prayer-meet- 
ing, ------ 40 

God's seal to the New 

Covenant, - - 35 

Our heritage to-day, - 40 
Pentecost — New Church 

of, ------ 380 

Can not be organized, - 381 
Standard of maintained, 384 
Christ-life the standard of 
believers, ... - 384 
Pentecostal — Term used 

lightly, 15 

Philip, 365 

Pioneer Evangelist, - - 366 

Exemplar, 370 

Polity — Elementary 

Church, - - - - 340 
No system prescribed, - 340 
Two important lessons, - 347 
Popular government, - - 343 
Temporary control, - - 344 



Prayer— Not mentioned as 

a gift,- - - - - - 148 

I ncluded in prophetic gift, 148 
Spirit's help in, twofold, 149 
Believers anointed in, - 159 

Week of, 319 

Condition of, - - - - 288 

Preacher — Often same as 

prophet, ... - 

A man sent of God, - - 

Should be able to speak, 

Should have a message, 

Successor of ancient 

prophets, - - - - 



Preacher-prophet — must 
be true, - - - - 

Must be courageous, - - 
Must not suppress those 

whom God blesses, - 
Question of woman' s priv- 
ilege settling itself, - 
Prophecy — The distinctive 
gift in Joel's predic- 
tion, - - - - 127, 

Modern use of word mis- 
leading, - - - - 

Forth-telling rather than 
fore-telling, - - - - 

How inspired, - - 131, 
Development of, - - - 
Wide diffusion of gift, - 
Risen Christ, the theme 
of, ----- - 

Predictive element in, 141, 
Students of, often limit 
their inquiries, - 142, 
Discovering power of, - 
Prophet — The New Testa- 
ment, - - - - 131, 

Assumes'priestly function, 
Samuel and Elijah, - ^ 
Privileges of, - - - - 



148 
149 
149 
150 

151 

160 
161 

163 
164 

128 
129 

130 

132 
133 
136 

139 
143 

146 
151 

132 
134 

I3 § 
138 



39 2 



Index 



PAGE. 

Prophet — 

Lowly persons called, - 136 
General and special, - 138 

Revelation — Progressive 

nature of, - - - - 331 
Consensus of interpreta- 
tion, 332 

Savior — Mode of teaching, 323 
Sayings of, how memor- 
ized, 324 

How far extant, - - - 326 

Scripture — How used, - 327 

Secular and Spiritual, 345 

Important distinction, - 346 

Seer, - 133 

Social Life and Wor- 
ship, 307 

A holy relationship, - - 307 
No Gentiles admitted, - 308 
Extraordinary intimacy, - 309 
Details of life not known, 310 
Generous hospitality, - 312 
Commended and com- 
manded, ----- 314 

Society — Unsettled condi- 
tion of, . - - - - 292 
Condition of recasting, - 301 

Song, Sacred — A means 

of grace, - - - - 157 

Owned of God, - - - 158 

Incident of Zulu Singer, 158 

Solo singing, - - - - 159 

Spiritual Gifts, - - - 112 

Miracles not included in, 114 

Not sensational, - - -116 

Absence of in modern 

churches, - - - - 118 

Stephen, 353 

Early prominence, - - 354 

Character of, - - - - 357 

Influence of upon Paul, 359 



PAGE. 

Taylor, Bishop — Style of 
preaching, 325 

Teaching Gift, The, - 176 

Lack of, 176 

Weakness of the Church 

in, 178 

Blundering surgery, - 179 
Hospital practice, . 179, 180 

Theophanies of Scrip- 
ture, 217 

Union with Christ, - - 53 
Demonstrated in life, - 56 
According to faith, - - 58 
Produces the Christ-life, 56 
Real, though imperfect, 57 
World' s ideal out of place, 59 
Unity of Believers, - 277 
Spiritual and vital, - - 278 
Mistaken notions concern- 
ing, 278 

Contradictory results, - 280 
Our Savior's true mean- 
ing, 281 

Does not affect individu- 
ality, 283 

Harmony in diversity, - 284 

Realized in many lives, 285 

Failures to exhibit, - 287 

Visions — Shall see, - - - 211 
Often associated with 

dreams, ----- 212 

Purpose of, - - - - - 212 
Of Christ, - - - - 214, 215 

Case of Dr. Finney, - - 21 6 

Practical value of, - - 227 

World, The — Without the 

tabernacle, - - - - 164 

Worship — Form of un- 
known, 317 

Prayer prominent part of, 318 



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